Maybe I was too hard on him, his kid is sick... but he was still being an asshole to me. Juniper adjusted the collar of their shirt nervously, willing themselves to disappear and go unnoticed. As they joined the bustling people of Hearthwood in the central square, Juniper kept their eyes peeled for any one selling medicinal supplies.

The central square smelled of roasting meats, some familiar scents, some exotic. The heat from the food stalls and the sun bearing down overhead caused beads of sweat to form on Juniper’s forehead. They fanned themselves as they maneuvered through the pushy crowd.

Merchants arrived last night and set up shop, bringing with them goods and news. Juniper had no interest in the news, but they couldn’t help but overhear the hushed whispers being exchanged.

“Did you hear? The Calamity King was seen in Golden Plains!”

“That can’t be… you don’t think he’s coming here, do you?”

“I’ll tell you what, I’m packing my bags and leaving with these merchants on the morrow. Think they’ll hire me as a guard even if I’m not an adventurer?”

A sinking feeling formed a pit in Juniper’s stomach as they heard the continued whispers of the Calamity King. The Calamity King was worth 100 dragons, enough money that a family of commoners would never have to work for several generations. His bounty was high for good reason.

As a long lived elf, the Calamity King committed countless atrocities, but none were more notable than the destruction of Atlas, the grand city. Thousands died and now the city existed as nothing more than a spiraling dungeon full of monsters for adventurers to slay.

Juniper shivered at the thought of the Calamity King approaching their village. Would they even stand a chance? They needed to act quickly, curing the girl and discussing their next move with Thistleheart.

Their golden eyes scanned the merchant stalls, eventually landing on a familiar face.

“Reed!” Juniper called out and marched forward.

The older man smiled and received Juniper well. “Young man, what can I do for you today?”

A small smile spread on Juniper’s lips. Though they were not a man, they preferred to be misgendered in that direction. It acted as a balance against the villagers continued misgendering of Juniper as a woman. Of course, they wanted not to be thought of as either, but they took what they could get.

“Reed, I’m looking for dragonroot, Faeloria's Sigh, or moon lilies,” Juniper listed off their preferred ingredients. “Do you happen to have any?”

Reed grimaced at Juniper’s eager expression. He hemmed for a moment before he said, “Ahh, young one, I’m sorry. I’ve already sold out of those sorts of herbs. I have the usual mundanes. Would you care to look at those?”

Juniper bit their lip. They didn’t need mundane herbs, because those were readily available in their backyard and in the parts of the wilds nearest the village. They needed those magical plants which only grew in areas with high mana concentration.

Reading Juniper’s face, Reed explained, “The eastern kingdom is at it again, and what little supplies I had left, I lost in a bandit raid.”

Juniper's expression darkened as Reed spoke about the eastern kingdom's activities. Instantly, they linked their current resources shortage to them. However, the bandits had played their part too. If only they hadn't attacked Reed's merchant caravan! Then Juniper would have been able to purchase the supplies they desperately needed.

“I see…” Juniper sighed. “Well… Show me what you have. Maybe I can still make something of this trip.”

Reed showcased his wares to Juniper, not bothering to name or explain any of what he had. They've only known each other for about a year since Reed started trading in southern Arcadia, but he already had a deep respect for Juniper's knowledge of flora and medicine. As Juniper looked over the goods, Reed spoke to fill the space between them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Have you heard the Calamity King was sighted nearby recently? I came from Timberline and now I'll have to go back the way I came. What a terrible bother." Reed sighed as though he were talking about a minor inconvenience.

"I just heard about that on my way here," Juniper said as they sniffed a clump of purple grass and set it aside for purchase. Their lips formed an unsteady line, upset at the very idea of the Calamity King being anywhere nearby. "I really hope he doesn't come this way. Hopefully he doesn't... The last sighting I heard about was Lunalea. Apparently half the town was destroyed in his wake! Why haven't the authorities caught up with him?"

"Authorities, pah!" Reed snorted. "They're too busy filling their pockets with gold to care about the little people. Did you see the latest bounty on his head?"

"Yes, 100 dragons, I heard it used to be 50..." Juniper sighed, unable to fathom having that much money in their life.

Reed shook his head and locked eyes with Juniper.

"Higher," he replied.

Juniper tilted their head, trying to comprehend. "... 200 dragons?"

Reed pointed his hand skyward, emphasizing the magnitude of the number.

"Ah... 1000... dragons?" Juniper's eyebrows shot up, their cheeks reddening with embarrassment for suggesting such a high number.

"10,000," Reed stated bluntly, leaving Juniper skeptical yet intrigued.

"You must be joking... that's... that's 100 times more than it was... what happened?" Juniper's mouth hung open, their eyes wide and unblinking. Their normally steady voice shook and they stumbled over their words before taking an instinctive step back.

"The Calamity King was most recently spotted in Eden, and his most recent atrocity is the magicite factory explosion." Reed shook his head with disappointment. He leaned forward to emphasize his next point to them. "A good friend of mine was there when it happened. We met in Timberline for drinks last week, and he told me he was there when the factory exploded. Silhouetted in the blast was an elven man who quickly ran away after he watched his horrid act collapse the building. A hundred people died. That was Duke Rose's factory, and Duke Rose is richer than the emperor himself. Duke Rose is the one who has posted his own bounty for the vile elf."

Juniper's heart sank. They couldn't imagine the destruction and devastation that the Calamity King had caused. It made them sick to their stomach to think that someone could be so heartless and cruel. And now it seemed that he was headed their way. They couldn't fathom what would happen if he made it to Hearthwood. The villagers were not equipped to handle such a threat.

As they browsed through Reed's wares, Juniper's mind raced with thoughts of what they could do. They needed to find a way to protect the village and the people they cared about. Perhaps they could rally some adventurers in the area to help them.

But then they remembered the reason they had come to the market in the first place - to find the ingredients to cure the sick girl. Without the dragonroot, Faeloria's Sigh, or moon lilies, they wouldn't be able to make the potion that could save her.

Juniper took a deep breath, trying to calm their racing thoughts. They needed to focus on the task at hand. "Reed, do you know of any other herb sellers in the area? Maybe they have what I need."

Reed scratched his beard thoughtfully. "I can't be very certain, my eyes aren't as keen as yours, but I think I spotted some dragonroot when we broke for camp a few miles out. We were out by a creek just off the road. I would have tried to gather it myself, but we were attacked by bandits out that way. They had an Animagus among them, so the adventurers we hired were completely outclassed."

"An animagus... I've never seen one before..." Juniper trailed off in thought. Animagi differed from summoners in one major way: they were limited to only one creature, usually the same one each time. For instance, a summoner could call forth many small elementals or beastly apparitions, while an Animagus would be restricted to one large elemental or savage creature. In short, summoners had minions while Animagi had a singular, but powerful, ally. "Did you see what they summoned?"

"She summoned a great wolf," Reed said, shuddering at the memory. "It was massive and had fur as black as obsidian. It took down two of those adventurers before they took it down. A fierce beast, I tell you. We turned tail and ran as quick as we could before the kithran could resummon it."

Juniper scratched their chin in thought, pondering the information. If they could get their hands on that dragonroot, they could save the girl's life. But getting it would not be an easy feat. The bandits and the Animagus made the task all the more difficult.

"Be careful out there," Reed warned as Juniper gathered their purchases and started to make their way out of the market. "The Calamity King is still at large, and he's not one to be trifled with."

"I will," Juniper promised with a small smile. "Thanks again, Reed. It was good seeing you."

As they walked away, Juniper couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in their stomach. The Calamity King, the bandits, the bloodfiends... It was like the world was turning against them. But they refused to let that stop them from completing their mission. They would find the dragonroot, cure the sick girl, and then worry about the rest later. For now, they had work to do.