"Any potions for tasting?" the adventurer asked, avarice shining in his eyes.

Ryan gave the new potion to the adventurer and watched intently as the gnome drank it eagerly.

What Ryan didn't expect was the blissful expression that went through the adventurer's face as he finished drinking the potion. It had been called rat's piss moments ago, for Veron's sake.

"I'll take a crate!" the adventurer said, finally coming to his senses. Ryan internally winced at the order, but before he had the chance to decline, a voice boomed from the podium at the courtyard.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Master of Silver welcomes you to his event... the brew-out. Please enjoy yourselves," the announcer started. "Contestants, please approach the podium with your best potions, and the judges will pick the winner of today's events. The festivities will begin in earnest. You have twenty minutes to do so."

Ryan didn't even stop to wait for more information—he simply gave the remaining old vials of potions to the gnome who was caught off guard, took out a bag, and dashed to look for anywhere secluded he could shield himself. He chose a toilet and locked it before he entered the pocket dimension.

Not knowing how the time difference worked, Ryan hurriedly filled twelve empty vials with the potion in the cauldron. He prayed to Veron that he wasn't too late, then contemplated for a split second before dropping the pouch Jenora gave him on the table and stuffing the new vials in the bag, taking off towards the door, letting the white light bathe him as he was transported back into the realm.

Ryan quickly unlocked the door and high-tailed it back to his stall, running a hand through his hair when he finally got there.

"All contestants please note that you have one minute remaining to submit your potion for judging," the announcer said.

Ryan rolled his eyes—of course he only had a minute left. He made his way to the podium where the other candidates stood by, most already having submitted their potion.

Soon it was Ryan's turn to do so.

"Name and potion?" the elf in charge asked as Ryan handed him a vial from the bag.

"Ryan, Ryan Lionheart. Minor health potion," Ryan said nervously.

The elf wrote that down on a piece of paper before attaching it to the vial and making a soft chant on the vial and pressing it to Ryan's head.

"Noted, next person," the elf said, marking the end of their conversation.

Ryan joined the other candidates milling around the podium as he waited for the others to finish submitting their potions.

As he glanced around, he saw odd things—not really odd, just highly suspicious. The entrance and exits, which had been previously unmanned when he'd entered, were now crowded with guardsmen bearing the Master of Silver's insignia. Ryan's eyes also found a bunch of adventurers here and there, also blocking entrances and exits, with a few milling about with serious faces. Although it could just be that Ryan was paranoid.

As Ryan's eyes raked through the crowd, he caught a familiar face blocking another gate alongside others—Cicero's. The squad leader's eyes seemed to already have been trained on his, so he wasn't surprised when Cicero grinned and gave him a thumbs up, the rest of the squad doing similar things. Ryan returned the gestures even as he turned back to face the podium. Something was definitely going on; he just didn't know what.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the testing! And before we can start, our host, the highly respected Master of Silvers, would like to say a few words," the announcer said.

A short and stocky dwarf walked up the podium, dressed in the finest robes that Ryan had ever seen. It was none other than Prometheus, the self-acclaimed Master of Silvers.

"Bah, no need to flatter me, Hinra," the dwarf started with a chuckle before turning serious. "A plague has begotten our beloved town—a terrible, terrible thing."

Gasps echoed around Ryan, and he couldn't even face-palm. The dwarf's eyes raked across the crowd that had gathered within the courtyard, his features grim.

"Today we say no more. I, alongside the Adventurers Guild, have decided to root out all those that have decided to taint the very potions that we purchase from them. No longer will we tolerate suc—" The dwarf was cut off.

An alchemist a few feet beside Ryan had decided to make a run for it. That hadn't gone well for the static at all; he was struck by so many spells at once that he dropped to the ground unmoving. Ryan had concluded that if he wasn't unconscious, he'd probably be dead.

"As I was saying, we would no longer tolerate such practices. Today is a day of reckoning for all those who have decided to poison us," the dwarf said as he let his eyes rove around. "There will be no escape for anyone found wanting."

Ryan thanked his stars that he hadn't dabbled in anything he was not sure of.

"Now we begin," the dwarf said. "Master Artificer, please scry those potions and show us our culprits."

A bored-looking elf went up the podium with two assistants behind her holding empty buckets each—Mistress Fenda. The lithe elf walked up with grace as she began raising individual vials, observing them with a monocle before throwing them into a bucket. By the time she was done, one bucket had obviously way more vials than the other.

The second only had a shallow amount, and if Ryan were to guess, he'd say that there were only six to seven vials in that bucket compared to what could be twenty-three to twenty-four vials in the other container.

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"Now it is time to judge those who've trespassed against our town," the Master of Silvers said as he stepped back, allowing the announcer, a gnome, to take center stage.

The Master Artificer had a word with the announcer while her assistants brought the buckets to the fore.

At the end of the interaction, the announcer seemed to sigh before regaining his composure as he stepped up to face the crowd.

"The charade has come to an end, and it is time to unhook these parasites. It is unfortunate that many have stooped so low to taking advantage of the adventurers within our midst," the announcer started. "Not withstanding, the show must go on."

The announcer looked down at the buckets before picking up the one with significantly more potions. The Master of Silver made a sign, and the adventurers moved forward, cordoning off the area that was occupied by the contestants.

"Such a shame. These are your trespassers," the announcer said, picking up a vial. "Telpon Zek—sole, Miras Gola—sole, Xara Hut—sole..." The announcer kept rattling off names as he pulled out potion after potion, throwing the vials into another empty bucket.

Those who were called out seemed to have a red glow appear on their heads, visible to everyone. Ryan watched as some cried openly, but the mob of adventurers didn't care as spells upon spells were hurled at them, hitting a transparent barrier that seemed to protect all contestants. Ryan searched for Jenora and found the woman looking a bit pale—perhaps the violence was scaring her. Ryan wanted to reach out to her and tell her that they'd be fine; after all, it wasn't like they'd done anything wrong.

"...Jenora Ice—Looter's Heaven," the announcer said as he read out the last vial of trespassers.

Ryan couldn't help the shock that spread on his face... Jenora, Jenora had been the one working with the Looter's Heaven, the one tainting potions. It suddenly clicked for him—the powder she'd handed over to him... it was the taint. Ryan thanked his stars that he'd abandoned the powder in the pocket dimension.

"We have substantial evidence to prove that the Looter's Heaven started the trend of tainted potions, and now we have shown to you all that you shouldn't do business with these rascals," a powerful red glow enveloped Jenora from head to toe as the announcer turned to her. "The Looter's Heaven will face punishment for their crimes against our town, and so will all of you who have taken sides and soiled your hands alongside them."

The Master of Silvers made another sign, and one by one, those with red glows were taken from the section barrier by town guards and adventurers alike, leaving Ryan and five others standing in the space.

"Congratulations to the six of you—you all have resisted the urge to grow your pockets at the expense of others, and the town wishes to reward you all with fifty gold coins each as a way of showing our gratitude," the announcer said. "And now to the main reason we are here: the Master of Silvers himself will judge the potions arrayed before him and choose the winner of this brew-out."

The Master of Silvers moved up to the crowd, nodded in respect to the remaining contestants.

"You all have my respect; the town is proud of you," the dwarf said. "Before I call you all out, I'll say one thing—you all are winners already."

The dwarf did not wait for a moment, even as the crowd roared in approval of his words, bringing a smile to Ryan's face and a tear to his eyes.

"Lema Rue—sole, potion of strengthening," the dwarf said as he raised the potion and drank it.

"5/10."

"Yemr Zis—sole, tempo stat booster," the dwarf said as he raised the potion and drank it.

"5/10."

"Tcixk Ell—sole, potion of minor increased perception," the dwarf said as he raised the potion and drank it.

"6/10."

"Wineg Jul—sole, temporary stat booster," the dwarf said as he raised the potion and drank it.

"4/10."

"Egratos Senfra—sole, minor health potion," the dwarf said as he raised the potion and drank it.

"5.5/10."

That only left one more person... him.

"Ryan Lionheart—sole, Minor health potion," the dwarf said as he raised the potion and drank it, his eyes opened wide with shock.

"9... 9/10!"

Ryan couldn't believe his ears... he'd won. He'd fucking won a brew-out! Never in a million years would he have thought such a thing possible.

"The winner for this Brew-out is... Ryan LIONHEART! Please applaud as he makes his way onto the podium!"

Ryan couldn't help but smile as he climbed up there.

The crowd—adventurers and statics alike—applauded. He'd done it and made a name for himself.

The Master of Silvers moved forward and shook Ryan's hand before facing the crowd.

"And there ye have it, folks. Please feel free to return to the party as I borrow our winner."

With that, the crowd dissipated and moved on.

The Master of Silvers turned around and motioned for Ryan to follow him as he made his way to the back of the room.

He got his biggest surprise as he made his way into the room that the dwarf led him to. Inside it, sitting comfortably, was... Leo.

"Mr. Buckly, I must say, when you recommended him to me, I didn't think it would've led anywhere, but I am impressed by what he has just done," the Master of Silver said as they walked into the room, startling Leo, who turned and stared at Ryan with a grin.

Ryan's jaw had dropped.... Leo had been working with the Master of Silver all this time. It suddenly made sense why he'd know Mr. Coman. No doubt someone like the Master of Silvers had to liaison with him often.

The dwarf took a seat at the main chair at the table while motioning for Ryan to take another opposite him.

Ryan shook off the shock and took the seat beside a still-grinning Leo.

"Mr. Lionheart, I know today must be a very overwhelming day for you, so I'll get straight to the point," the dwarf started. "Mr. Buckly here will be leaving Denair tomorrow, and I will need an Alchemist to replace him. He trusts you, and I now do. The offer is a hundred and fifty gold per month of service. There are only two clauses. One: You cannot reveal my business or a connection to me in any way or form. Two: The contract can only be terminated with a one week notice by both parties."

Ryan was certainly overwhelmed. One hundred and fifty gold as a salary... pure profit. What would he even do with all that?

"Can I see the contract on paper, Master of Silvers?" Ryan asked timidly.

"Of course, and please call me Zayto," Zayto said, pulling out a scroll and handing it over to Ryan.

Ryan collected it calmly even when his heart was beating erratically. He opened the scroll and read through the clauses, and Ryan had to admit that they were fair... very fair... still.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" Ryan asked.

"Sure, you have one day out of respect to Mr. Buckly. From then, I'll look elsewhere," Zayto said in a businesslike tone. "Please see yourselves out."

That marked the end of their conversation, and so Ryan and Leo stepped out of the office.

Leo was still grinning, and Ryan couldn't help but hug the big man in appreciation.

"Messy Inn?" Leo asked.

"Messy Inn."

They had to celebrate, and what better place to celebrate than with his family—just him, Leo, and Carl. He didn't need more than that.

Ryan got more than a few cheers on their way to the Messy Inn, and it made him smile that he was finally getting the recognition that he deserved.

As soon as he opened the door...

"SURPRISE!!!" so many people who were in the tavern screamed. Ryan couldn't believe it.

Cicero and the squad were there, Talas and a group of adventurers, Boreas, Levi, the baker, and surprise, surprise—Frankie. He hadn't seen the adventurer since he'd sold him the ring.

Ryan was speechless; this was all he could've ever asked for.

"Ryan, Ryan, Ryan..." Freya started to chant. Uro joined in, and soon enough, the entire tavern began to chant his name.

He'd done it. Him—Ryan Lionheart.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The End<<<<<<<<<<<7

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