The clatter of washing plates and clinking glasses filled the air as Diane flew down the stairs, while the late-morning sun shone brightly through the front windows.

“Ohhhh, so you finally get off being grounded, and you waste half the morning sleeping in? I thought you and early bird were synonyms!” Thistleman teased, whilst sporting a mischievous grin.

“Hey! I can get up late if I want to! I just…” Diane countered, pouting a little while rubbing her eyes, before she was cut off by a fit of wet coughs.

“Come now, you can at least start one morning peacefully, can’t you dears?” Rhyme squeaked out, her voice a little hoarse as she nursed a steaming cup of tea. She staggered up from her chair behind the counter, and pushed a small box over to Diane. “Here, I knew you’d be in a rush so I packed your breakfast.” Rhyme managed a small smile, as Jotuun lumbered over from cleaning tables to help support her.

“I’m fine dear, I can manage. It’s going to be lunch soon so we need to finish getting ready.”

Jotuun nodded and grunted in acknowledgement, but didn’t move until he helped Rhyme back into her chair.

“Thanks Auntie Rhyme! Get well soon, ok?” Diane smiled brightly as she picked up her food.

“Hey, before you run out the door… mind dropping these potions off at the guild for me? Apparently they’re selling like crazy aaaaand I forgot to have someone come pick them up, thanks!” Thistleman pointed with his thumb at a small crate on the end of the counter, wrapped up by a couple cords.

“Why should I have to run your errands?” Diane puffed up her chest for moment and pointed her finger at Thistleman, before quickly deflating.

From under the counter, Thistleman wordlessly pulled out a book labeled “Diane’s Expenses” while his grin somehow seemed to have gotten larger. The book was already getting surprisingly thick.

“Oh, and don’t forget to mention it’s an open sale when you drop them off!”

“MMMMMMMMMPH. Fine! I’ll take them!” Her face slightly reddened, she relented and grabbed the crate, placing her lunch right on top.

“Come one Emily! Come on Clover! We’re late already!” Diane shouted up the stairs before hustling to the door.

“Back before dark.” Jotuun grunted as Diane passed by.

“What?! Why so early! I won’t have much time out at all!” She pouted at Jotuun, as he turned around. Jotuun reach out with one of his massive paws and ruffled her hair a little.

“Probation. Back before dark.” Diane looked as if she desperately wanted to argue, before deciding it would be better not to.

“MMMMMMPH. Fine! I’ll be back before dark. Take care of Auntie, Uncle Jotuun!” Diane chimed, before finally making it out the door. She stopped outside, and spied Thistleman still waving as the door shut behind her, a weird expression crossing her face.

Something feels… off?

The soft thud of paws and the startled yelp of a random passerby broke Diane’s concentration, as an Emily-laden Clover plopped down from their second-story window.

“Perfect timing! Hey! Emily, hold this for me, okay?”

Emily tried waving her hands desperately, before the crate was shoved into her arms. Diane leaped on to Clover’s back, and reached around Emily to grab onto Clover.

“Don’t worry! I got ya! TO THE GUILD!”

Clover immediately leapt into a full sprint, as Emily hugged the crate for dear life and closed her eyes tighter than during the deepest prayers.

“Faster Clover! We gotta make up for our day! Faster! Wahahahaha!”

Upon hearing Diane’s childish laugh, she managed to find a way to clench even tighter.

----------------------------------------

Alain had been waiting at the Adventurer’s Guild for a few hours now. It wasn’t that he didn’t have anything better to do, he just had no better option than to wait for the unknown potion maker’s potions to arrive.

After the emergency meeting, the city mandated that the guild would provide all special healing potions to them, and to use its emergency authority to force their alchemist to make more potions. From there, the city would handle all distribution of the potion.

I can’t count on those dysfunctional bastards to give any potions to an outsider like Theo. At best, they will treat him like a test case and use just enough of those potions to see their effects! Then they will let him rot and die, just to see how the disease develops! I need to find the alchemist, no matter what the cost, and get him to slip me some of the potions!

Alain ignored the growl of his stomach as he watched the crowd of people gathered in the guild hall. There were various nobles who stood out in the crowd, most likely tipped off about looming malady and the only known treatment. The rest were a mix of mostly townsfolk looking for potions, and much fewer were adventurers trying to get hold of some of the front desk staff.

There was also a city official waiting to lay claim to the potions upon arrival, and who also was likely trying to find out who the alchemist was that made the unique healing potions. He had two guards with him, whom he had stationed in the guild as he had gone out to get some lunch himself.

Considering he was looking for a wizened elder or a ragged recluse reeking of herbs as the most likely suspects, Alain almost passed over the young girl hopping in to the guild, her silver hair drills bouncing in tune with each step and a small crate in her hands. If anything, he would have expected a child her age to be struggling with it a little more.

It’s probably nothing that noteworthy then.

He returned his stringent gaze to the door as several other people filtered in, none of whom were noteworthy other than a tall black cloaked man. SGT Dufount cocked his head and squinted towards the crowd, acting as if he was looking at something else.

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I can usually get a good read on people… but I can’t get a read on him? Hmm?

Alain made a mental note to not get caught up with someone like that, usually people he couldn’t read were far more trouble than they were worth. Plus…

“Hey little lady, did you say an open sale? On that crate?” A Canian barked quite audibly above the humdrum of the crowd, and hurried towards the girl.

Did she just skip everyone in line to the front desk? How’d she manage that?

“Yessir! Hey Elsie, can you take care of this for me? I’m already late on my day so I gotta go, thanks, you’re the best, byeee!”

Without missing a beat, Diane picked up the small box from atop the crate, and dashed back through the crowd, leaving behind a clearly flustered catkin who began untying the cords on the crate. SGT Dufount sat up slightly straighter as he watched her flow through the crowd, seemingly slipping through gaps that were almost too narrow to squeeze through. Even with the added focus, he could still catch a few things in the heightening murmurs of the crowd.

“An open sale? Been a little while since someone skipped using guild managed rates.”

“I doubt it would be anything worthwhile, open sales are only really worthwhile from the big-name adventurers.”

Timed almost as if to make them eat their words, the clatter of a wooden lid on the ground was followed by a moment of silence, before a hysterical frenzy.

“POTIONS! THEY’RE POTIONS!” An elderly adventurer shouted out in shock at the contents.

“I WAS HERE FIRST! TWO GOLD FOR A POTION!” The Canian from earlier crowded into Elsie’s space as she picked up a note on top of the potions and attempted to read it.

“SELL TO ME FIRST, TWO AND A HALF GOLD!” One of the human adventurers tried to shove the Canian aside and was met with a snarl. “Do you seriously want to bid up on pink potions?!”

“THE PINK POTIONS ARE HERE?! TEN GOLD PER POTION!” The nobles and their attendants began rushing towards the crates, as the city official’s guards attempted to move through the crowd to secure the supplies.

“TWENTY GOLD!” Another noble screamed, as a growing look of shock formed on the adventurer’s faces.

Once people learn what is coming… twenty gold for one of those potions will seem cheap!

Rather than deal with that frenzy, SGT Dufount quickly ran outside. Unlike the others watching, he was the only one who ended up keeping an eye on her! Luck was on his side!

“WHERE THE HELL DID THAT GIRL GO?!”

SGT Dufount smiled at the confusion behind him, as he caught up to the girl as she jumped on to…

The back of…

“IS THAT A SABER TOOTH?!”

Alain stopped in his tracks, mouth agape in shock.

“Yes…? Did you want something?” The girl gave him an incredulous look, practically oblivious to the din inside.

This is no time to be distracted, focus!

“Right, yes. So, I wanted to talk about those potions you dropped off…” The knight pulled out his coin pouch and quickly started to pull out some gold coins, their shiny glint was easily missed as people gathered near the doors to the Adventurer’s Guild to investigate the rising commotion.

Diane smiled before cutting him off. “Oh, those, yeah, it was something Thistle made. I guess you hate lines too!”

“What? Oh, yes! Anyways, I was hoping to…” He had managed to dig out four gold coins, before they disappeared from his hands.

“Buy a few? Sure! I have some spares in my bag! I needed some of my own spending money anyways!”

The girl had a really bright smile on her face as she rummaged into the bag worn by the other twig-of-a-girl in front. She then pulled four pink potions from the bag and passed them to Alain.

“By the way, my name’s Diane, and this is Emily, and this is Clover! Nice to meetcha!” Diane pointed to the girl in front of her, and the seemingly impatient Saber Toothed Cat, then leaned over to shake his hand. He could spy a variety of other potions poking out of the unsecured bag.

How can a kid be given so much?! What kind of alchemist would be that insane?

“Alain Dufount, it’s my pleasure. Do you mind my asking what else you have there?”

Diane looked surprised for a moment, as if shocked anybody would have any interest in what potions she had.

“Uhmmm, I don’t remember what most of these are… but this brown one is supposed to get rid of all bugs? Aaaaand I got a couple of these grey ones, I think they are supposed to be able to confuse any low rank demons? Not sure about the purple one, or the green one, and this white one makes fires change colors…” She looked like she was straining hard as she rummaged over the potions, while Emily would shoot awkward glances towards Alain, who was steadily looking more and more shocked himself.

If… if I didn’t see what these pink potions could do myself, I would think this insane!

“Just to clarify, what do you mean by get rid of all bugs? And… did you just that those grey ones confuse any, and I mean ANY low rank demons?” Alain looked around nervously, thankful that everyone was distracted by the practical riot now erupting in the guild hall. Diane also clearly noticed, as she cocked her head and stared towards the guild doors.

“The brown one… it will make all bugs run away because they know it will kill them? And, yes, that is what I said… did you want to buy some of those too?” She was clearly getting impatient, and was glancing up towards the sun as if to guess the time.

Alain fished the last two gold coins out of his pouch, leaving only a few silvers and a copper, before they were suddenly swiped and replaced with one of each grey and brown potions.

“THANKS AND NO TAKE-BACKS MR. KNIGHT!” The girl shouted, as the Saber Tooth dashed off.

SGT Dufount stood there dumbfounded, staring at the potions in his hand.

How…?

He looked back at her rapidly disappearing silhouette.

So… let’s see… her name is Diane. “Thistle” makes the potions. She clearly has no idea what they are actually worth… I would feel bad, but… how did she swipe my gold coins so fast?! And her movement… no kid should be able to do that! I will need to look into this more after I get these potions to Theo.

As he began to walk towards temple row, Alain felt a sudden powerful grip on his shoulder. Without hesitation, he reached to draw his sword and twisted his head around.

His attempt to draw and swing his sword was stopped as another powerful grip surrounded hand, sword and sheath and held them firmly in place.

“Whoa now, no need to be hasty Imperial SGT Alain Dufount.”

SGT Dufount let go of his blade, and he felt the grip on his shoulder and hand release. He turned around and had to look up to see the grizzled face of the man who stopped him, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Anger and surprised coursed through Alain’s throbbing veins.

“Who are you and what do you want? These potions are mine.” As hard as he tried to be professional, he didn’t have much time to waste. Alain’s voice dripped with impatience and anger, his friend and fellow knight needed treatment, and he finally had more! Anything to desperately buy a little more time as he tried to find a cure!

The man smiled wide, revealing his perfect white teeth, glistening like a marble sculpture in the light.

“Ah, yes, call me D.” The man glanced off in the direction the girl went.

“I suppose I don’t have much time myself before I lose track of her, that girl moves frighteningly fast. I have been waiting for you to get here for quite some time now. If I recall, you’re staying somewhere on the wharf?” D continued at a perfectly measured pace.

“How did you..?” The effects of shock after shock were finally catching up to Alain, as his brain finally quit trying to process it.

“Make sure to be back there tonight! Don’t worry, I will find you! We have much to talk about. You do such good work, even if you are quite slow!” The man gave another wide, toothy smile, before melting away into the crowd.

Damn it, I hate being right. The people I can’t read are always trouble!

Alain spotted the city official desperately trying to push his way through the crowd to get into the guild, and all his attempts to shout with his slimy sweet voice got drowned out by the din of the crowd. At least that gave him another small reason to smile on his roller-coaster day.

He didn’t waste another moment to hurry down to temple row as he also spotted several platoons of guards rushing to the guild and cordoning off the road.

It is far too late for you to monopolize the potions, I hope that lunch was worth it!