Pharmakon

Killing with kindness is easy. Vestra inspected the withered plant on the counter in front of him, his leather-clad hands turning the leaves. It had been left untreated for too long, a victim of an overzealous apprentice and her watering can. He turned to the wall of drawers behind him, labeled with tiny color-coded tabs with various names on them. He approached a large drawer marked “Ledger’s” and with a snap, he opened one of several small pouches on his belt retrieving a ring of keys. After quickly unlocking the cabinet and retrieving a large book from within, he again locked the cabinet and returned to his previous position at the large counter. A clear chime sounded as a silver bell in the corner of the room rang twice, paused, then a third chime was heard.

Sighing, Vestra pushed the plant pot to the side of the counter’s window and placed the ledger beside it. After a few moments, the door across the room opened and a young man entered the room gingerly. Vestra guessed his age as close to his own, no older than nineteen but it can be hard to tell with those who grew up with little food in the city’s slums. “Good morning Sir, how can I be of assistance?” queried Vestra. The youth looked nervously around the room, seeing only bare walls and the window Vestra stood at, the door closing behind him. “Apothecary Vestra?” the young man returned. “Apprentice Vestra actually, we don’t receive our mantle until we complete our apprenticeships, How can I help you?” replied Vestra. The boy walked towards the window and continued, “I’m looking for some assistance with a task, I was told you would have information and equipment that I would need.” With raised eyebrows, Vestra asked, “What is your task?”.

“Red marker on a councilman from the mining district. Has to be called in at a gala the Syndicates are throwing tonight. “ He said with narrowed eyes. Vestra returned his gaze impassively and said “We don’t only charge for providing materials, we charge for knowing which materials are most suitable. Am I correct in assuming you do not know what you need?” The young man pursed his lips as his nostrils flared, “I need an undetectable poison.” Vestra inclined his head in agreement and replied “Yes but which one and undetectable by who exactly? There are some exceptionally rare poisons that can be ordered or created but even if we did have the time for that the cost would be absolutely astonishing, prohibitively so…” The young man began to shift his gaze rapidly along the wall of drawers behind Vestra. “Is there nothing you can offer. A charmed container maybe? To conceal the scent?”. “We do carry such devices but they will be of no use, in this case, the Syndicates make use of enchanted detection equipment, this does not rely on scent. I do believe I can be of some assistance, however.”

“What do you have? How much is it? Will it fool the detectors?” the youth asked eagerly. Vestra nodded and continued “No alarms will be raised using this method but there is a risk. Can I assume you have already secured entry to the Gala?” The young man nodded “I’ve got access as a kitchen servant, it’s busier than usual with the Gala so more hands have been hired to deal with the strain.” Vestra smiled “Cost then. I will give you what you need, you will give me one and a half silver crowns and a marker.” The boy coughed, “You can’t be serious, the silver is fine but I can’t give you a marker!” With a shrug, Vestra said “The silver is purely a consultation fee, required for Apothecary Willow’s records. The marker is my payment off the books as I will be selling you nothing belonging to my master. Let’s be honest you can either take my deal or deal with the Syndicate or your client. I doubt they will be satisfied with a marker.” The boy had a hunted look but reluctantly nodded “I accept, what do you have?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Vestra grinned “Absolutely nothing, and that’s the point. With magical protections in place you cannot walk into that building with poison and the intent to use it. Fortunately, everything you need is already in place. Observe.” He turned from the window again retrieving his keys from the belt pouch. Approaching a cabinet with a green label “Vitality” he instantly found the correct key and unlocked the cabinet retrieving a small row of vials held in a wooden stand. Returning to the counter he again went to a different drawer marked with a black label “X” he removed a small black box and returned to the counter. He motioned to the first row of vials from the green drawer “This is Friar’s Respite, one drop applied to the tongue will return those afflicted by an apoplectic fit to relative normalcy, depending on the speed with which the remedy is applied. Please inspect the vial” The young man gestured with his right hand and an information screen appeared before him, the information shown matched Vestra’s description perfectly. “What’s in the black box?” asked the boy. “Friar’s Respite, three drops applied to the tongue will induce severe brain damage, four or greater will induce death. Inspect the vial please”. Vestra opened tho box revealing a black vial with a thin red X on the label. The young man again called up his information window with a gesture and read the text, again it matched Vestra’s description exactly.

A soft whistle escaped the young man’s lips, “How does that work? Do you have any idea how valuable information like this would be to the right people?” Vestra smiled in response “Intent, you don’t need to know the details of the creation just that you can cure with the poison and poison with the cure. There will be at least two medical stations at the Syndicate Gala, this is a commonly found item in these stations. The creator's intention was for these to cure, no poison alarms will register.” The young man nodded and reached into an inside pocket producing a small leather purse which he placed in the drawer under the window. He then retrieved a small pocket knife from a trouser pocket and cut a small line on his forearm. With a gesture, the blood glowed softly red a thin tendril extending to float in front of him as more flowed a disk forming in the air. With one final gesture, the disk shone white and solidified before falling into the open drawer. Vestra snapped the mechanism on the counter shifting the drawer to his side.

He reached in for the disk and the pouch, emptying the contents and counting fifteen small copper coins embossed with a crown and various monarchs on opposing sides. With a thought, the information panel for the disk popped open “Billie Dorn’s Blood Marker - Single Use Item”. Vestra concealed the marker in one of his many belt pouches and returned the copper to the leather purse. “Well Mr. Dorn, I have your marker now, this is not an order but I would very much appreciate you keeping what I have revealed to you a secret. Bare in mind, if you do, your reputation will be all the better for it. I have a suspicion you have been handed a task that you were intended to fail to complete, a reputation for completing impossible tasks will surely offer you some protection. For a while. I will call on you if I have a need.” Billie nodded and turned to leave, the door swung open, moved by some unseen mechanism.  As he faded from sight and the door closed behind him Vestra returned to the ledger he had put aside and made two new entries.

Zeshar Shrub  

Small

Murdered by Apprentice (Unknown)

-10s

Medic Training

Small

Basic Potion Application

1s 5c

Vestra lifted the dead plant from the counter and dropped it into a box beneath the counter, it would be taken out and disposed of safely at the end of the day. “Too much of a good thing can kill you.” He said with a smile.