"Not that bad, eh?" Yiriel commented, spinning around on her heels to face me, now walking backward along the trail.

I took in the sights around me. It was so much quieter than in Sonhest. The gentle songs of birds, branches full of leaves brushing against one another in the breeze...I closed my eyes, stuck in the moment.

"Hey? You there, Piere?" She asked, now back in front of me waving her hands in my face. I grabbed her wrist, startling her. Just as rapidly as I had taken hold, I let go.

'Ah. Don't act out of character.'

"Sorry! Yes...It's so lovely out here." I offered, craning my neck to get a look at everything, arms swinging at my sides. "I've never been out of the city before."

She nodded with understanding. "Yeah, it gets dangerous around here at night, not to say it's completely safe right now. Don't worry though, I have a second sense for nature." She winked in my direction, and I smiled gratefully.

'What sort of dangers?'

I wasn't planning to be here until dusk. That adventure would be for another day. Right now, I suspected Yiriel could use magic, and therefore provide me with answers about my situation. Asking outright was risking things though. Just as I was wearing a mask, not including my bandaged eye, so too could she be hiding things. Expecting kindness from a stranger could be a death sentence, especially when I knew so little. My jaw clenched. I needed to have the upper hand when I confronted her. Depending on her response, I could decide if it would be safe to leave her alive.

To prepare for this adventure, I used the rest of the copper in the coin purse to purchase a few important herbs from her. The base for most mixtures was mandrake root, so I grabbed some of that. The only other thing I could afford was a Lavan lichen tincture, used to numb sore throats and wounds. Both sat carefully wrapped in my bag.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that while some of the plant life of this world was different, most of it wasn't. Just like back in the shop, I could list their names and uses as I eyed the forested area around me.

I stepped over a half-rotted fruit on the ground with shiny, silvery seeds.

'Thornapple Seeds, ground into a fine powder and added to concoctions for their hallucinogenic and aphrodisiac properties.'

Around me bustled dark, glossy leaves of thick bushes blooming with tiny white flowers.

'Belladonna Leaves. When finely ground, enhance the potency of poisons.'

"So, what sort of environment are you looking for? If it's a specific herb you know the name of I can find that too." Yiriel questioned, coming to a halt on the trail. To get out of the city we had gone out through a series of hallways and sidedoors that Yiriel commonly used. According to her, while the guard there didn't let suspicious people out you could pay him to get in and out of the city without being checked. It was mostly utilized by herbalists, like Yiriel, and mercenaries on more discreet missions.

"Um...I was told somewhere well-shaded, but dry." I explained.

Yiriel paused, deep in thought, and then gave me a single sharp nod. "Yes! I know where we can head! Do you happen to be looking for Ilicher?"

I hid a smile.

"How did you know?" I gasped, gazing at her in wonder. She laughed, gesturing for me to follow her.

"It's one of the few base potion ingredients you need fresh. Because of that people always have jobs to get it for sick nobles."

"Yes, that's right! You do know your stuff." I complimented her, rushing to catch up until we stood shoulder to shoulder. "Did you learn this all on your own?"

At that question, I didn't miss the momentary look of regret on her face. When it passed, her head shook no. She snatched a wild peppermint leaf off a plant and began to chew it. I realized that was her way of ending the conversation.

'Hm. A fallout with her teacher?'

We walked for a few more minutes in near silence, aside from my occasional comments about things I was making up on the spot; my little sister was learning to walk, someone had been tipped for a good job at the non-descript guild, etc. She hummed in response, working the peppermint leaf far past its use.

She spit out the leaf. "This is it!" She said with a sweep of her hand, showing off the area we had winded deep through the thicket to reach with pride. "Nothing but fresh Ilicher!"

I had to chuckle. She was kind of a cute kid. I still couldn't shake the sense she was older than she looked though. The thicket of Illicher plants loomed as I approached, covered in their notorious rounded spikes. A bit to the right was where the thorns, while still thick, were most open for access to the ground below. It was the place most likely to be used by someone digging for roots. Squatting down and shielded by my wide cloak, I pulled the Lavan lichen tincture from my bag, and with a swift unscrew sprinkled its contents thick across the branches. Exposed to air, the clear liquid looked no different than water dewy on the tips of the thorns.

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I screwed the cap back on and tucked it into my bag.

"Ow!" I cried out, falling back. "My finger..."

My wide-eyed, helpless gaze met Yriels confused one as I craned my head back to face her. My finger tasted of dirt as pretended to suck at the non-existent wound.

Yiriel rolled her eyes.

"Amateur. If you didn't know how to do it, just say something." Pulling two gloves from her pocket, she strode towards the same area I had coated with Lavan to dig. "The trick," She said, lowering her hands toward the soil, "Is to find the area where the thorns are less dense- usually younger growth. Then, wear gloves. Your arms will still get cut up, but it will protect your hands."

The finger exited my lips with a pop. "Thank you very much, Miss Yiriel. You really do know a lot." I cooed, a much less innocent smile on my face.

With a grunt and a yank one of the weaker Illicher plants came free, exposing the orange-brown flesh of the plant's base between the roots and the branches. She wasn't incorrect about how Illicher base was commonly used by nobility in healing medications, but I had never said it was the part of the plant I had come here for today.

I was here for the thorns.

This little test proved that while a good apothecary, Yiriel didn't know her poisons. Any trickster worth their salt would know that mixing the potent enhancing chemicals in the Illicher thorns with Lavan lichen caused a nearly instant full-body paralysis when bloodborne. Knowing I had bought Lavan just earlier and then coerced her to approach the Ilicher would have set off red flags if she had known anything.

My gamble paid off.

Yiriel propped herself back up, knees and elbows covered in dirt. I gazed at the numerous tiny cuts on her arms, fresh with blood and mixed with the Lavan tincture.

"Say, Piere" Yiriel began, brushing herself off, "What did you buy that Lavan tincture for anyway? If it's for that bandaged eye of yours, I would recommend something el-"

Yiriels body froze, her mouth halting mid-word. It was akin to someone hitting the pause button on every movement she could make. Her eyes darted around, confused, finally settling warily on my own. Only her chest heaved with motion, pushed by the continued respiration of her lungs. I gave her a cheerful wave.

'Three...two...'

She began to tip over, her useless, rigid muscles unable to stop her body from tumbling to the ground.

With a sprint I made it behind her just in time to slow the fall, cradling her head and back with my arms. No need to hurt the girl. She had been so cooperative in poisoning herself, after all.

Once she was safe on the grass, I headed over to the Illichan plants and tore a branch off about the length of my hand, careful to avoid the section I had coated in lavan. Then, sticking it in my bag I walked back and kneeled beside her.

Now having reached the obvious conclusion of the situation, her eyes were full of fury, any limbs still capable of moving twitching and trembling with her desire to get up. Probably to beat the living daylights out of me.

"Apologies Yiriel, but I need your help with something." I began, watching her gaze grow even more intense, "Information is worth its weight in gold and I'm sure you can understand how I couldn't risk just asking you. Goodwill is a fickle thing."

In a flurry I whipped the branch back out of my bag and sliced an opening along the edge with my fingernail. Out from the torn flesh leaked a thick, white substance. Tapping my finger on it just once left it coated with the smallest drop. Then, I opened Yiriel's mouth, yanked out her tongue, and swiped the compound across. Her face twitched with disgust at the bitter taste. I did the same across her eyelids.

After a moment her lips and tongue began to move again, and her dry eyes blinked.

"You..." She began, voice heavy with paralysis, "Fake piece of trash."

I sensed she wanted to yell, but the weakness in her throat wouldn't let her.

"When...I get out of this-" She started again, taking long, deep breaths. I put a hand up, shaking my head.

"No time. In about 30 minutes you will begin to experience respiratory paralysis. You do understand what that means, yes?" I explained.

Her mouth fell open.

While the performance was fun, I wasn't a fan of killing. I wanted to keep things as peaceful as possible. For her sanity, my intentions were made clear.

"I have a cure. All you have to do is answer my questions, and both of us walk away perfectly fine."

Yiriel eyed me warily.

"It's a bit difficult to talk to you like this," I noticed, already seeing her red cheeks pooling with blood. I had laid her down an incline, "Why don't we get you propped up?"

Since we were right next to a large willow, all I had to do was bring her body upright and lean it against the bark. As I began to pull, however, her wool cap became caught in a thorny branch on the ground, slithering over from the greater thicket.

"No," She mumbled, "Wait, don't-"

In a single swift movement, I pulled the hat from her head, freeing her messy blonde hair, and pushed her up against the tree. She yelped in surprise.

"Alright!" I said, triumphant, "Now let's begin with-"

I stopped, my breath catching mid-sentence.

I knew it was rude to stare but I couldn't help it. Out from under her hat had popped two, long pointed ears. They were enormous. I didn't know human ears could get that big. No wonder she kept them hidden. Honestly, they fit her well and added to her look, but it seemed they were a source of embarrassment because upon realizing I had noticed her eyes welled up with tears.

"My life is over..." She despaired, glowing face paling with fear, "I'll never see daylight again. Please I..." Her lips trembled in a desperate pout, "Just use me however you like and kill me. Don't sell me. Leave me the dignity to die, I am begging you."

'...I might be an idiot.'

This wasn't Earth. Somehow it kept slipping my mind until moments like this. I was in a fantasy realm full of magic. Who's to say that humans were the only intelligent race?

The long ears. The beautiful appearance. The eyes that seemed older than the body they dwelled in. The knowledge of nature. The magic.

Was the answer so obvious? So textbook fantasy?

"I have no interest in selling you," I coughed, shaking my head with disgust, "Or using you. Instead, how about you and I make a deal?" I began again, realizing I had found a weakness, the pressure point of her heart that everyone had.

She looked up at me, confused. Her breath shuddered and hiccuped with every sob.

I tapped my wrist. "The clock is ticking, Miss Elf."