"Mina, take this money and go across the street to get her something more appropriate to wear. I have to go do something really quick, can you handle that, Mina?"

"Can do big brother, you can count on me."

Roth excuses himself as he places a gold coin on the table for the meal. He exits the door of the establishment and can sense Amaya trying to speak, but she doesn't say a word. He stands on the sidewalk and looks side to side across the pavement stone road and take a deep exhausted breath.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

As Roth said to himself with an annoyance in his tone. He heads back on to the other side of the city back to where the Fidelities men where station. It was in a bad part of the city; some may even call it the slums though it still wasn't quite there yet. He asks several shady people around the area for a specific item, but to no avail. One by one he asks around to find at least some clue until finally, he sees a group of muscular individuals talking, leaning against the side of a house wall.

"Excuse me, I have a question."

They both look at Roth with an odd expression, " The fuck ya want?"

"I'm looking for something in particular. An elixir of sorts. You know, the kind you can't get in stores."

The man scoffs and shakes his head, " Fuck off ya twat, I ain't stupid. I got no shit for ya."

"C'mon dude, anything would help, I just need to buy something really-"

"I said fuck off mate, or are ya looking for an early grave here in the dirt?"

The man returned to his conversation as Roth growled under his breath from this aggressive man. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the metal insignia pin, hoping it would work again. The man's friend sees the pin and his face turned pale and skitters away. The man was confused and looked back to Roth. His anger completely switched to a panic state.

"Hey, look mate, I don't want no trouble ya hear."

"Then I suggest you tell me where I can find this red potion. You know the one I'm talking about. Makes you crazy, superhuman strength, all that gimmick."

"Ya mate, I know a guy to get some. I'll lead ya to him."

The man anxiously leads Roth into a back alley while a group of men huddle around a small fire pit burning in a metal bucket. The men look up from their hypnotic gaze into the fire and stare at the two.

"Oi mate, still got that red juice on ya. My friend here would like to buy some from ya."

The rough looking man stares up and down at him. Seeing how out of place Roth looks.

"No offence friend but you look a little too green."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Nah mate, he ain't green, He's with them lot. Ya know, those craze bastards, those syndicate fellows."

He jolts upright and looks back and forth at Roth and the man.

"Really? With them?"

The man nods aggressively, "Well... shit, what can I do you for then, sir."

"Like he said, I need that red stuff, the one that's making people insanely strong, and crazy."

"Yeah of course. Here I got some on me, take it, no charge."

"Thank you, I'll be testing it to make sure it's still pure. If I find out you tampered with it or selling cheap copies of them, you and the vendor you got this from won't see the next light of day."

The men got up from their crates and backed up slowly, even the man who showed Roth joined them.

"Understood, got it. It's pure, uhhh pleasure doing business...sir..."

The men scurried off terrified of his bluffed threat. Roth is relieved to find some of that red drug, who knew showing the insignia to low criminals would work so well. He safely puts it away and now roams the city finding his next location. After traveling past the crowd of humans, demi humans and beast men, he finally finds his destination. Just at the end of the district of the shady area he was in, stands in front of him an apothecary. A wooden sign hangs from the establishment with a spider hanging from its abdomen and the name "Widows Drop" underneath it. Roth stares at the peculiar sign and enters in cautiously.

A bell rings as he opens the door. A small bell hung as he looked up to examine the noise. The place had a rustic smell, for some reason it smells of chlorine as if he was in a pool supply shop in the real world.

"Just a moment, I'll be with you shortly."

Roth waits patiently at the desk, the dark lobby and emptiness of the shop felt, eerie. The only illumination was the lamp that hung just above the desk. A crystal was place where a light bulb should be. Finally, the man stepped out from the backroom and stood in front of Roth. He looks pale and sickly and had messy hair. His eyes were sunken and had dark circles as if he didn't get enough sleep.

"Good day to you young man my name is Sunz, Sunz ze Lette, and how can I help you today?"

"I want to know if you came into contact with this type of liquid. If so, can you tell me the properties of it."

"Hmmm I can sure try, let's see what we're working with shall we?"

He gestures to put the item on the desk. He places it and Sunz places his arms behind his back examining the bottle.

"Ahhh Interesting, Its very red and viscous. Let me see..."

He dips a paper strip into the bottle and takes the strip to another beaker filled with a clear fluid. The water turned red then slowly into a pink and finally into a dark purple.

"Fascinating... do you know what its effects are?"

"It causes temporary aggressiveness, and shear strength."

"Hmmmp then it may be that abnormal drug that's been spreading everywhere."

"Wait you know about the drug?"

He nods slowly, "indeed I do. Our vendors warned us about a drug that's been hitting the streets as of lately. Truth be told, we get some individuals looking for a remedy to calm some sort of hangover after the effects. That viscous fluid you showed me had the same smell those patrons in my shop always come back smelling like. It's a very pungent smell, very distinct."

"But you don't know what mix of ingredients or supplies they used?"

"Unfortunately, no. All the remedies we make are all water based solutions, nothing Viscous."

"Damn, I was afraid of that. Thanks anyways though."

"I'm curious young man, how did you even acquire this?"

"Oh... I'm and adventurer and was task to find what was causing the drug problem in this city hahaha." As he said lying to cover up how he got it.

"Ah yes of course. That makes sense, off to the guild I see. Then I wish you good luck my dear boy."

"Thank you... you have a nice day as well sir."

Sunz eyes were closed as he waved goodbye. As the door finally closes, he opens his eyes with a sinister smile. He walks back to his office in the back and reaches for a feather ink pen. He writes a message on a thin strip of paper and lets it dry. After a few minutes, he rolls the paper and attaches it to the ankle of a messenger bird. He opens the window slowly and releases the bird, watching it fly into the air quickly.

"So that's him huh? Hmph how delightfully pleasant this is hmhmhm."