Charlotte's PoV

Charlotte was beginning to make some traction on her current report. As she was making some final corrections and scanning over the document for errors, there was a knock on her door. The headache was coming back. She left instructions to be left alone unless it was an emergency. Pressing her irritation down she said as calmly as she could, "Come in."

Terry walked into her office with his eyes locked on his phone. She always hated that, it was a dangerous habit. There were so many accidents that happened because people zoned into their devices while walking around.

Suppressing her irritation level which was now doubled she asked, "What is it Terry? You know I needed some space for finishing up this report."

Still looking at his phone he said "You've got to see this! It just came out on the local news and it's going viral!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Terry was one of the few people she could count on, so she didn't want to burn that bridge with a loose tongue. Charlotte needed all the help she could get.

"Can it wait for another hour Terry? I'm almost done with this report."

A little smirk appeared on his face and he said, "You're going to want to see this. It's only a minute long."

Sighing, she took the phone. The video clip was labeled "From Hero to Zero."

Clicking play she saw that it was security camera footage. There was a man that looked to be examining some coins, but she could only see his back. Then the other man…

It was Jim. She could only roll her eyes as she looked at his shirt. It was one of those shirts with fake muscles drawn on. A second away from handing the phone back, four men with weapons entered the store. Then everything started moving fast. The clerk tried to use his phone but then he dropped it.

There was no sound but she could see the bright flash at the end of one of the pistols. After a short pause, the thieves started ransacking the place. One man started to move towards Jim, but to her surprise Jim attacked the man. In a flash the guy was on the floor and his weapon was in Jim's hand.

Instead of firing the weapon, he threw it at the other armed man. The throw actually connected! Charlotte watched in bewilderment as he proceeded to kick the crap out of three guys at the same time. He even caught a knife thrust that was inches away from taking his throat out.

As the fight was going on, she saw a police car enter the parking lot as Jim was putting the finishing touches on the last man. Then the officer entered the building with his gun drawn. Jim's back was to the door and when the officer entered, Jim whipped around disarming him with one hand and punched him in the face with the other. The officer looked like he was knocked out.

A second later the look of panic on Jim's face was a bit comical. He tossed the officer's gun away and leaned down as he said something to the stunned man. Then the man's partner who was still outside had his gun aimed at Jim through the glass.

Jim put his hands up as he backed away from the downed officer. The clip jumped forward in time and there were more officers on the scene. It ended with Jim on the floor being handcuffed with the other four.

Charlotte didn't know what to think. She had always thought Jim would be useless in a fight, but that was clearly not the case.

Making a joke to herself she muttered "He knows Kung Fu."

As the joke passed through her mind again, she narrowed her eyes. Was this what he was working on? Did he create a shortcut to learning using company hardware? Could she pitch that to the higher ups? Jeez, Charlotte was grasping at straws.

Everything in her life seemed to devolve into 'can this be put in a report?' It was ridiculous. After the demonstration on Monday these idiots should have been throwing money at her team, not making them beg.

They just needed a couple more years and the possibilities would be endless. She turned to Terry and thanked him. When she heard the door close, she glanced sadly at the picture of her nephew on her desk. One possibility that was so close was giving the blind a chance to see.

It didn't matter how much damage the eyes had if they could directly feed video into the brain. But the idiots called it a 'niche' market that was beyond the helmets current capability. Idiots. She continued the stupid report where she left off.

***

Assassin's PoV

Scarlet had just finished burying the trio that she had killed. All in all it turned out rather well for her. She would have killed the three men anyway, the pricks clearly intended to ambush her. If she had let them go after seeing her face, it would have caused a lot of problems. Those in the Merchant Circle didn't break into people's houses. They paid other people to do that kind of work. It would have blown her cover.

Scarlet twirled her new dagger around as she kept an eye on the house. The little girl that the man had saved was visiting again. For the past couple days she would come over to play with the dogs for a few hours and then go home. But only one of those little monsters would leave his side at a time.

She was half hoping that the girl would take both wolves away from the mage, if she only had more time she was certain that she could crack his magical barrier. It had to be some kind of object in his possession or something else in the room.

It really hurt her professional pride that she couldn't take out a sleeping magic user. Feeling the dagger pulse with magic, she had no doubt there was some kind of enchantment on it.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

All enchantments were beyond rare in the tri city-state area. At best there might be six or seven items that held an active enchantment. Yet this mage who could materialize items from nothing must be covered in them. Even without knowing what enchantment was on her new dagger, it would fetch a king's ransom.

The man had already promised even more riches for a simple bodyguard job. It was almost a laughable request. Scarlet was not a bodyguard. She was the one they called to kill people with high level bodyguards.

And this Jim had just beat the best assassin in the area, and that wasn't her bragging. It was a fact. If anything, it was a certification that his defenses were more than sufficient. But she was intrigued. Maybe she could convince this mage to take up her city-states cause? Even just a few enchanted items could change the balance of power.

***

Forrest's PoV

Forrest was on the deck of his house drinking some of his brew. He felt like he had a new lease on life. When the stupid Potion Maker had seen him alive and well, the man's jaw was hanging down and catching flies. The look on his face was priceless!

Then the man dared to accuse him of stealing. Feeling ever so much better, he let the man know he objected fiercely to being called a thief. After a few punches to the gut and a finisher to the face, the man lay sprawled unconscious in his front yard. It didn't take too long for the guards to come sniffing around.

They roused the Potion Maker and he started making all kinds of accusations. Then Forrest flatly gave an account of what happened. The man dared to call him a thief and a liar in his own front yard? When the guard asked the Potion Maker for any proof of his claims, he stood there speechless.

Forrest was well within his rights and the man knew it. The guard ushered him away a few minutes after. While he was leaving he saw the man give him a savage glare. He laughed.

About an hour passed and his friend Davis had come over with Maria. Ever since that odd man came, Maria had started visiting his house very often. He didn't mind though. The wolf pups loved the girl, and she them. She even named the pair. It was a lot of fun watching them play.

Davis said "Maria wants to play with the pups again. That okay?"

"She's always welcome here Davis. You know you don't need to ask."

After a quick nod from Davis, Maria let out a squeal and ran to the backyard with a wolf pup on her tail. He had no doubt of her safety when that beast was around. A couple times some of the more ruff kids tried to pick on the girl.

Smiling he remembered the holes torn in the back of their pants and the high pitch screams. The fools tried coming back with their older siblings only to get sent packing again. Good times.

His friend Davis took a seat next to him. Figuring he knew what this was about he pressed his friend, "What's up Davis? What's on your mind? Your poker face sucks."

Davis sighed and said "Two things. First I just heard about that little scuffle you had with the Potion Maker. What happened?"

Forrest shrugged and said "The fool came on my land and called me a liar and a thief. Hell I should have beat the man to death when he tried to con me out of my house and land. Little lizard. I don't know why the council hasn't kicked him out yet."

"You know why he hasn't been kicked out Forrest. He has friends in high places. All the money he makes from curing that disease sees to that. And you really embarrassed him. That will cause trouble."

Forrest snorted and said "Oh, this coming from the man who punched out his brother in law. How's the man doing by the way?"

Davis sighed and said "Gwen has finally seen the light and kicked the man out. He has very few connections and when people know of what he did, it should make the annulment smooth."

Arching an eyebrow Forrest asked, "When people know what he did? Sounds like there's a story there."

"It makes me sick, friend. I'm sure you're familiar with the potions that cure the disease?"

Forrest rolled his eyes. They were just talking about the man that made them. "What does that have to do with your brother in law?"

"Well turns out one of the main ingredients in that potion is a mushroom that grows in caves."

Horrified, Forrest started putting the pieces together and said, "No, you can't be serious!"

Davis nodded saying "It started six months ago. One day he saw one of those mushrooms through a crack. It was just out of his reach, but a child would be small enough to get in. That's how it started. He and the Potion Maker were friends of a sort and he happened to know what went into some of his mixtures. "

Forrest shook his head and said "What do you mean that's how it started? Six months? How far did she end up going in?"

"That girl is so brave, Forrest. Miles. Many miles. We can't be sure but she spoke of how long it would take to find new areas for harvest. These types of mushrooms seem to take a really long time to grow, so she had to keep finding new areas."

Forrest asked "Why? Why did she do it? It couldn't have been just because he asked."

Davis brooded for a few seconds before saying "He found a dog. It was a runt really. But he used it as a reward and punishment."

Confused Forrest asked "Punishment?"

"He beat the dog in front of her when she didn't have anything to bring back. He kept the dog tied up near the Potion Maker's house. For two weeks he took her there everyday. Then he demanded she just go in a little bit to pick up the mushrooms. But each week she had to go further."

Forrest's hands flexed on the pommel of his dagger. Filth. There was such filth in this town. Why couldn't the common man see it?

Forrest then asked "How's Gwen taking it?"

Davis sadly said "She's a wreck. Twelve years she's been married to the man. Gwen told me she felt like she failed Maria. While she was happily running her business, her daughter was going through hell and she didn't notice. Gwen said she thought the child was going through a phase."

Forrest asked, "What about the dog?"

Grimly Davis answered "Dead. He beat the dog to death after he thought Maria wasn't going to come back."

"Why the hell would he do all this in the first place? Money?"

Snorting Davis said "Nope. Apparently the man got hooked to one of the Potion Maker's mixtures. It seems the mushroom has multiple uses. So he traded them for this finished product."

Grimly Forrest said "Weeds. Poison. Evil. Filth. They should all be dead, not thriving at the top."

Davis quietly nodded. Forrest then asked "What was the second thing you wanted to talk about?"

"The stranger. Jim. What do you make of him?"

Forrest laughed and said "He saved my life for a stay in one of my rooms. Not only that, those cute fluff balls are monsters in disguise. My property is probably more safe then the Head Councilman's own home. And I got paid for it!"

Davis laughed and said "You were always the lucky one, you prick. Hah."

***

Assassin's PoV

Scarlet listened intently to the conversation. This was perfect! She would have to give a little visit to this Potion Maker. Glancing through the window, she saw that the other wolf pup was awake and on guard.

There was no harm in hedging your bets right? The wizard would be fine. The Merchant Circle will be here tomorrow. The man sounded like a good target for her original mission. She had some scouting to do.