Naaza's ears twitched at the sound of heavy footsteps. She looked up from her book, eyes flickering to the newcomer. A broad, gruff-looking man with brown hair and a sword strapped at his hip. His shoulders nearly filled the doorframe, topped by a pair of curved, metal pauldrons.
"Welcome to Blue Pharmacy," she said, placing down her book, the spine cracking softly against the counter. "How can I help you?"
The man grunted out something unintelligible, his golden eyes scanning through the shelves and cabinets. "Heard ya have sumthin' called 'cat potion' around here."
Naaza blinked twice at the request, her tail swishing to the side, brushing against the leg of her chair.
A customer already?
"Cat-girl elixir, yes," she said, fighting back a grimace. The name still sounded silly to her ears.
The scar on the man's brow wrinkled as he propped an arm on his hip. "How much for it?"
"One moment." She stood up, her chair scraping softly against the wooden floor. Her eyes flickered to the door behind her, lips pressing a thin line.
Did they even have any for sale? They should, right?
That oaf had left without a word this morning before the sun even fully rose. Always so eager to go back to that awful place with a smile on his face...
Naaza clenched her prosthetic hand, the joints clicking with a soft, unnatural sound. A quiet breath pushed through her nose. Wordlessly, she made her way to the backroom, the hinges creaking as she opened the door.
How much should she even sell these for?
He could've at least told her that much. Or simply left a note instead of leaving her to guess.
Stepping inside, she looked around, scanning through the shelves and cabinets as the pungent scent of crushed herbs filled her nose. Her gaze lingered on a small cabinet to her left and the handful of brightly colored, pink potions that sat on top of it like an eyesore.
A sour feeling lodged in her chest, crawling with a flash of heat up her neck.
Here she was, expecting the worst when he'd really thought this through.
Naaza shook her head, taking a slow breath as she walked up to the cabinet. Something caught her eye as she got closer. A torn piece of paper lying next to the batch of potions.
She picked it up, brows furrowing as she read the hasty scribble.
Cat-girl elixir - 2000 valis each
Two thousand?
Wasn't that a bit too cheap for this kind of potion?
It should be at least five thousand. Even that was still cheap. The gods would pay ten times that amount on a whim.
Nodding to herself, she grabbed one potion, the glass smooth and cool in her flesh and blood hand. As she made her way back to the store, she found the gruff man standing in the same spot, though with his arms crossed and a deeper frown on his face. She rolled her eyes. Typical self-centered adventurer.
His gaze followed her hand as she placed the vial on the counter, lingering on the bubbling liquid.
"Five thousand valis."
The man looked up, mouth twitching with the faintest sneer as he held her gaze. "Five thousand?" His eyes narrowed. "For this thing?"
She met the glare with a flat, unimpressed look. "It's a novelty cosmetic made from expensive ingredients."
Take it or leave.
A beat of tense silence passed as the man continued to glare. His jaw worked silently as his eyes flickered down to the potion, then back to her face. A moment later, he clicked his tongue.
"Fine."
He reached a hand inside the pouch at his hip, grabbing a fistful of valis as he walked closer. He dropped them in front of her like an afterthought, the coins clattering on the wood. One rolled towards the edge before she stopped it with her prosthetic hand.
"The effect lasts roughly two hours after ingestion," she said as the man swiped the potion from the counter. He turned it around between his fingers, squinting at the liquid inside. Satisfied with whatever he saw, he placed the vial in another small pouch at his other hip.
"G'day," he grunted out, sending her a look from the corner of his eye as he turned around.
A brief twitch pulled down at the corner of Naaza's lips as she watched the man swagger out of the pharmacy, his steps heavy against the floor. At least he had some manners.
She gathered the coins, counting them one more time before stashing them inside the lockbox beneath the counter.
Sparing the door one last glance, she picked up her book and resumed her reading.
<[]>
I stopped at the reception counter, searching the back of the Guild Hall with my gaze. Only a handful of adventurers milled around, too early for the evening crowd to clog the place. A grin formed on my face as I spotted the familiar mop of pink hair, half-buried in a book at one of the desks.
Perfect.
"Hey Misha!" I raised a hand in a friendly wave. "How's my favorite advisor doing on this fine evening?"
The girl looked up from her paperwork, face lighting up like a beacon in the dark. She stood up, chair scraping against the floor, and made her way to the counter, a spring in her step.
"Wrangling with the paperwork, the usual."
"And they said you only fight monsters in the dungeon."
A sharp, muffled puff of air escaped the girl, her smile widening. "It's not that bad."
"Maybe for you. I'd rather fight more orcs than even touch one of those thick registry tomes of yours."
"So dramatic." She shook her head, pink strands fluttering with the motion. "The books won't bite you, Jack."
I shrugged. "You never know."
Misha made another amused sound, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She leaned forward, elbows resting on the counter as her cerise eyes flickered across my frame. Her teeth brushed in a light, unconscious motion along her bottom lip, sparking a thrill in my chest.
Damn, she was cute.
"I see you've had another busy day."
"I think the orcs on the Eleventh might become extinct."
Her lashes fluttered, a teasing curl forming on her lips. "Careful, Jack. The other adventurers need to make a living too."
I quirked an eyebrow at the little tease. "I've seen like five parties running for their lives over the past two days. I think I'm doing them a favor." You'd think that War Shadows or Killer Ants were enough of a reality check, but a surprising amount of rookies ended up having their overconfidence smacked out by a ten foot club.
Misha blinked, that cute, tiny smirk vanishing as her brows drew together. "The large monsters are dangerous to those unprepared."
"They shouldn't fight them in the first place," I swept my hand in a vague gesture, keeping my voice flat. "I'd be ashamed to have to flee from a hunk of walking emergency food."
"Eww." Misha scrunched up her nose. "You're not seriously thinking about eating them, are you?"
"I don't know." I shrugged, a knowing smirk tugging at my lips. "I heard they taste like bacon."
"From who?"
"Ravi. Someone in his Familia tried it once."
Misha shook her head, gaze turning hollow as she blew a tired breath through her lips. "Please don't take after them."
Silly girl. She should be worried that they'd take after me. Then again, Orario might not handle all that COOL.
"Well, if you ask me so nicely."
She pinned me with an unamused stare, lips pressed in a thin line. I fought back a grin. She was fun to tease.
My eyes drifted across the place, settling on the board of papers to the right. Mainly for quest posting from what I've seen, but also showed the occasional news like someone's level up.
"I've been meaning to ask," I glanced back at Misha, gesturing with a thumb at the board. "Does the Guild offer services for advertising stuff?" It should, right?
She followed with her gaze before nodding slowly. "We do. What do you need it for?"
Nice.
"A potion," I told her with a cryptic smile.
Misha gave me a dry look, one eyebrow arched. "I'm going to need more details than that, mister."
"A potion that turns people into cat people." I gestured to my head, miming ears. "Gives 'em ears and tail."
She blinked, her brow creasing a fraction. Her head tilted slightly. "Why...?"
My smile widened. "Why what?"
"Why would anyone buy that?" she said. Her nose scrunched up again, just a little. "Don't take this the wrong way, Jack, I'm just trying to understand."
I shrugged. "You know how the gods are. They'd love it."
A beat of silence passed while she kept staring, lips pressed flat. Then she pulled herself upright, her shoulders drooping with a sigh. "Yeah, I can see it..."
"So you want to advertise this..." She made a vague gesture with a hand, searching for words.
I smirked. "Cat girl potion."
"Cat girl potion." She shook her head, but the faint quirk at the corner of her lips belied her apparent frustration.
"Yeah."
"You'll have to fill a couple papers," she said, tapping a finger on the counter. "The Guild charges a daily fee for advertising, but we offer discounts if you pay for a whole week or a month—"
"Hold up." I lifted a hand. "I'll come back another time for that stuff. I gotta iron out a few more things before jumping into advertising."
I haven't even told Naaza about it yet.
"Alright."
"Thanks, Misha." A grateful smile settled on my face. "You're a great help."
She paused, eyes widening a fraction. Her gaze flickered down to the polished counter, lingering there for a moment. "You're welcome." Her rosy lips curved upward in a gentle arc, revealing a hint of pearl-white teeth. "Anything else I can help you with?"
I barely registered the question, my eyes too busy tracing the contour of her glossy lips. She was close enough that I could just lean over and—
I caught myself staring a second too late.
Misha's smile grew the tiniest bit wider.
"Well..." I said, filling the silence before it could turn awkward. My pulse kicked up a notch as her eyes gleamed with that familiar mischief. I thought back to her question, drumming my fingers on the countertop.
Right. Anything else? I came here to ask about the advertising stuff and—
My eyes widened. Crap, I'd almost forgotten.
"I also wanted to ask if the Guild has Mithril for sale. Any amount."
Misha made an intrigued sound, her brows climbing up. "First potions, now blacksmithing? Isn't that a little too ambitious?"
"It's not for smithing. I'm gonna make a potion out of it."
She blinked. Once, twice, her head tilting slightly to the side as she gave me a weird look. "Jack, I'm pretty sure that's not how alchemy works. Even I know that."
A smirk twitched at the corner of my lips. "Maybe for normal alchemy."
A beat of silence hung between us.
Misha's eyes narrowed, then grew wide as she stood straight, palms flat against the counter. "Jack." Her voice lowered as she sent a couple glances around the Guild Hall. "You can't mean..."
I nodded with a grin. "Yup."
Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again. She took a slow breath, massaging her brow with a hand.
"Jack, can you be normal for one day?"
"I'm afraid not." I shook my head with a sympathetic smile.
Misha exhaled heavily through her nose, pinning me with a tired look, like I was some sort of problem child. "I don't suppose you have a status update to back your bold claim?"
"Nope." I shook my head again. "I'd rather not advertise that stuff just yet."
It wasn't that big of a secret, but I'd rather it didn't pop up somewhere as far as a public record. The fewer people who knew about Alchemy, the better. At least for now.
Misha stood there for a quiet moment, her brows furrowing ever so slightly. "Then why tell me?"
"You're my advisor, Misha. I trust you with this stuff."
Her eyes darted down, refusing to meet my gaze. Her fingers curled against the counter, and she just stood there, stock still for a heatbeat. Then she cleared her throat and pinned me with a pointed look.
"Well, mister, in that case, I'll have you know that, to anyone who asks, you're just blowing hot air."
A grin broke on my face. "Reliable as always, Misha."
My cute advisor shook her head with a sigh, gaze wandering across the hall. Her shoulders slumped a little. "Some people would disagree with you..." she grumbled under her breath, quiet enough that nobody around would pick it up, but not quiet enough for someone with my stats.
"So what? You're reliable to me."
She stiffened, eyes wide as they snapped back towards me. Her mouth opened, then closed again, lips moving with silent words as a tinge of red smudged over her cheeks.
Adorable.
"Wait here a bit." Her words tumbled out in a rush as she looked over her shoulder. "I'll, uhm, go check and let you know." Then she spun around and hurried deeper inside the Guild, her shoes clacking along the marble floor and that crown of bubblegum hair bouncing with each step.
I watched her with a smile as she disappeared through one of the doors at the back.
Flustered Misha was a treat.
<[]>
I walked inside the pharmacy, backpack slung over one shoulder and whistling a jaunty tune. My captain was sitting in her usual spot, nose buried in a book, rusty colors of light spilling through the window over her form.
"Hey Naaza." I raised a hand in a friendly greeting, stopping in front of the counter.
She looked up, eyes narrowing at my dazzling smile.
"You're back early," she said, voice flat as she placed down her book. "Planning to spend another evening burning through our supplies?"
My smile grew a little wider. "You know me so well."
"Unfortunately." She shook her head in a slow, tired arc, though the brief twitch at the corner of her lips gave her away.
"We had a customer earlier," she said after a moment, her tail flicking to the side.
Okay?
"He bought one of your potions."
My eyes widened. Ah.
Niiice.
It only took two days with little to no advertising. It was going to be smooth sailing once we ironed out the game plan.
"How much did you sell it for?"
Naaza paused, her eyes darting away. Her fingers drummed against the counter before stilling.
"Five thousand."
A sigh escaped me. I had a feeling this might happen.
"You didn't see my note?" I gestured with my gaze towards the backroom before looking Naaza in the eye.
She stared right back, mouth forming a thin line. Her chin lifted slightly. "Two thousand is too cheap for this kind of potion," she said, folding her hands atop her book. "Does it even cover the material cost?"
"Yeah." Barely.
It's why I'd lowballed it in the first place. I knew she'd jack up the price even if I priced it at five thousand from the get-go. She probably had a better head for business than me, and way more experience, but she was too focused on quick profits to see the long game here.
We'd make a lot more money if we aimed for volume sales instead of jacking up the price sky high. The more people who could afford it, the better.
"It's fine." I waved off with a hand. "Five thousand is still affordable."
"I still think it's too cheap."
"It only lasts for a couple hours. People will buy in bulk."
"If you say so."
Naaza's glare relented after another moment, her eyes flickering down to her book. I could tell that she'd keep being skeptical until she saw some clear results.
But that was fine. I was all about results. I was going to show her enough results that even her pessimistic ass wouldn't be able to deny it.
"Well, I'll be at the back if you need me," I said, walking past my grumpy captain.
Naaza spared me one last glance before burying her nose back in those pages. "Don't blow up the house."
"Aye aye, captain." I gave her a salute and then made my way inside the workshop, pulling the door behind me with a creak.
I had a potion to finish. And maybe figure out the next project.
Something that helped me stay longer in the murder pit would be awesome. When it came down to raising my stats, the only limit was my own feeble flesh. My muscles could only take so much abuse before they screamed for mercy. My lungs could only burn for so long before I had to call it a day.
Exhaustion was the enemy but now I could change that.
I only needed to figure out how.
<[]>
"Oi. Supporter."
Lili glanced up from the ant carcass, one hand rummaging through slimy innards.
"We'll stay in that cave around the corner." The adventurer pointed at the tunnel up ahead, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. "Hurry up and finish already."
She pushed a smile on her face, despite the heavy, gnawing weight in her chest. "Yes, sir."
Maybe she shouldn't have ditched those idiots so quickly...
She shook her head, fingers wrapping around the magic stone and plucking it out. No, they were crazy. She made the right call. Better put up with the typical adventurer than deal with those crazies.
The ant dissolved into dark smoke as she slipped the crystal inside her backpack. Another one for the count—
"—and move behind me!"
Her ears twitched as a voice echoed from deeper inside the dungeon, muffled by stone. She pushed herself up, eyes flickering to the winding cave up ahead. Her brow furrowed.
"You heard that?" The man threw her a brief glance, one hand resting on the sword at his hip.
"Yes, sir." She walked closer, her small knife held loosely in one hand. "Lili definitely heard a voice."
Her ears twitched again. Footsteps. Muffled but getting closer.
"Go check." The adventurer gestured with his chin towards the noise.
A sour feeling twisted inside Lili's stomach. Of course. Send the supporter to scout. If something killed her, he'd just run.
She moved forward anyway, feet barely making a sound on the dungeon floor. Her grip tightened on her carving knife; useless against anything bigger than a goblin, but holding it made her feel like she wasn't naked in this hellhole.
The rocky wall pressed cold against her palm as she crept towards the corner, her breathing shallow and quiet. The sound of footsteps drew closer, heavy thuds against the ground. Two sets, maybe more.
Her gut clenched in unease.
She peered around the corner, keeping most of her body hidden.
Two men emerged from the shadows deeper inside the tunnel. One of them wore pieces of armor but had no weapon. The other had brown skin and was barely dressed, muscles gleaming even in this dim light.
Her eyes widened in recognition.
Those two.
Of all the places—
Chittering noises echoed from deeper inside the cave, overlapping with each other.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Behind those two, monsters began crawling out of the darkness, crimson eyes burning with hatred and mandibles clicking at the air.
Killer Ants.
So many she couldn't even count them all. Ten. Twenty. More emerging from the shadows in a red tide.
"M-monster party..."
A jolt shot through her body, spreading in her veins like ice.
She had to run.
She whirled around, searching for that adventurer. Her stomach sank even further.
He was already fleeing in the opposite way, not even bothering to spare her one last glance as he disappeared among the shadows.
She clenched her fists, eyes darting back to the approaching swarm. The chittering grew louder.
Discarded like trash again...
She took a shallow breath, blood rusing in her ears as her heart hammered in her chest.
Even if she fled now, those two were faster than her, and if she ran across anything other than a goblin—
Those two skidded to a sudden halt and spun around, facing the ants. The Ganesha brute moved behind his friend and stood there, drawing his axe.
Her eyes flickered to the large stick in his other hand. The severed head of a Killer Ant dangled from a small rope at the end, eyes still glowing with that hateful light and mandibles still twitching.
Her blood ran cold.
Bait.
In a narrow tunnel, where more monsters could ambush from behind.
"Aight, Ravi. Here it goes!" The other guy reached in his pouch, taking out a potion.
How mad were they?
"Go for it, brudda!"
And they were planning to fight it? Here?
Insanity. Suicidal idiots—
She took a step back as the chittering drew closer. No, this was her chance to run.
Why weren't her feet moving!
The madman popped the cork with his thumb and threw his head back, gulping down the dark-colored liquid. He dropped the empty vial and slid one foot behind the other while his skin darkened, taking on a gleaming sheen like polished metal.
The ants kept pouring out of the shadows, crawling over the ground and walls in a tide of chitin and hunger.
She finally took a step back on shaky legs. Then another. And another. She hid behind the corner, her hands trembling on the cold dungeon rock as she peeked around the edge.
What the hell was she doing—why did she even care about what happened to these idiots?!
Her eyes widened.
Magic?
"I'm pulsing with a mighty heat,"
A red aura enveloped him, crimson light dancing across the walls. It flowed down his arms like liquid fire, gathering between his hands as he cupped them at his hip.
Maybe they had this handled...
"My blood is a symphony within me!"
The light grew brighter, more intense. The ants charged forward, mandibles clicking.
"See the spark of my magic!"
He took a step forward, hips twisting—
"Sukaaretto Oobaadoraibu!"
—and thrust his hands at the monsters.
There was a blinding flash of light.
She squeezed her eyes shut, cracking them open a fraction.
A crimson blast tore through the tunnel with a deafening thunderclap, filling the cave with black smoke. A sharp gust of air lapped at her face, ruffling her hair.
Ears ringing, she looked around, but the thick smoke made it impossible to see. The chittering had stopped. The only thing she could hear was the faint crackle of something burning.
A sharp, meaty slap echoed across the cave, followed by another gust of wind. The smoke cleared, pushed deeper inside the tunnel like a giant had blown it away with their breath.
Her mouth fell open at the sight.
Smoking corpses littered half the tunnel, some of them charred black. Carapaces cracked open and spindly legs burned down to a crisp. The madman stood at the front, wisps of smoke wafting from his hands and a triumphant grin splitting his face. His skin still had that metallic sheen, making him look more like a statue than a man.
She let out a small, shaky breath.
All of this with just one spell...?
She gulped, hands trembling on the cold wall. Her gaze drifted back to the Ganesha idiot and that severed head on a stick, its eyes still ablaze with that baleful glow.
She shook her head.
No. She made the right choice ditching them.