An unassuming man dropped a report on Hyzen’s desk.

  Meanwhile, behind the desk, Hyzen sat with an unfurled parchment already in his grasp.

  With his eyebrow raised, Hyzen glanced at the man and his report.

  For a moment, silence pervaded the office.

  “Who are you?” Hyzen asked.

  The man, adorned in golden steel with a black cape at his back, crossed his wrists over his chest and pounded his breastplate twice in salutation.

  “Guild Master Hyzen, sir. This is a report detailing the most recent caravan sent by the Guild to the Empire’s capital. Inside, you’ll also find a list of resources requested on behalf of the state.”

  “Very well.” Hyzen said as he grabbed the report.

  He unfurled it and began to leisurely read, but the man — the guard(?) — lingered. He wore a helmet, a knight’s helm, golden just like his armor, and due to it — Hyzen couldn’t see the man’s eyes, but he could feel them.

  Hyzen’s eyes rummaged through the parchment for a bit, and when he finally thought he had looked for long enough, he returned his gaze towards the guard and dismissed him.

  “Welp!” Hyzen clapped his hands.

  “This looks great. Really good work here! Thank you for delivering it personally, but I’ll take it from here.” Hyzen smiled his most genuine smile.

  He outstretched his hand to shake the guard’s, but the golden man merely stood still — unresponsive.

  Hyzen peeked around the man’s golden shoulder guard. He peered through his office door, where Martha’s desk sat just outside of his. She was supposed to be his secretary — she was supposed to prevent people from barging into his office, but supposed seemed a far cry from reality.

  Hyzen stared at Martha. From the lobby’s west wing, she sat behind her desk and lip-synced to Hyzen.

  “What was I supposed to do?!” Martha gestured as her arms flailed around her wildly.

  “Look at him!” Martha pointed to the golden man.

  “He’s covered in armor!”

  Hyzen continued to glare, however; he loathed dealing with people.

  Thankfully, the golden guard caught on quick.

  “I was instructed to return alongside the second caravan.” He said.

  At this, Hyzen paused. He and Martha looked at each other — confusion flashed across their faces.

  “I’m afraid you must be mistaken.” Hyzen collected himself. “The second caravan left two weeks ago. You must have passed it on your way here.”

  “We passed no such caravan, sir.” The guard replied.

  Then, from the Guild’s lobby, shouting ensued.

  “Guild Master Hyzen! Guild Master Hyzen! Where’s the Guild Master?!!” It was a man’s voice. Loud. Panicked.

  He spotted Martha along the edge of the western wing and succinctly spotted the Guild Master’s office thereafter. Without any pretense, he bolted across the lobby and nearly slipped upon the Guild’s marbled floor.

  He crashed into Hyzen’s office and plummeted into the door frame, rattling the glass cases and weapon racks that lined the walls. Then, whilst ignoring the man plated in gold, he slammed a parchment on Hyzen’s desk.

  “Guild Master! Sir! We have a problem!” He repeated more panicked than before.

  Before Hyzen replied, however, he shot another glare through his office door towards Martha.

  “Another one?!!” His eyes communicated.

  Thankfully, Hyzen persisted. He steadied himself and looked upon the newcomer.

  “So…” Hyzen studied him. “Who the hell are you?”

  Unlike the man adorned in gold, the newer man was much more normal looking. He had shaggy, blonde hair that messily covered his brown eyes. He was dressed simply: half leather greaves covered his legs and a cotton shirt barred his chest.

  He wore a sun-bleached leather vest over his top and had multiple holsters clipped to his belt; he had a crossbow, a set of throwing knives, hooks and grapples, and a vast assortment of powders and liquids each housed in their own unique little vials.

  He was an adventurer, that much was clear; as only the Empire’s military wore armor as gaunt as Mr. Gold’s.

  “Alchemist Blue! At your service, Guild Master!” The messy haired man stood straight for his introduction.

  Opposite him, Hyzen scanned him up and down. He was young — an adult, to be sure — but likely in his early twenties.

  “Did you say blue?” Hyzen repeated. “Like the color?”

  “Yes!!” Alchemist Blue bobbed his head up and down like an excited puppy.

  “Just like the color!” He reaffirmed.

  “And…” Hyzen looked between Blue and Gold. Two idiots barged into his office today. Both of whom were color-coordinated.

  Weird. Hyzen thought.

  “And how can I help you today?” Hyzen asked with his utmost ‘Guild Master’ persona.

  “It’s not good, Guild Master! Not good at all! The land is… well, I don’t know how to explain it! You gotta see it! It’s not good at all!” Blue spoke in a rush, and he talked with his hands — when put together — he resembled a puppy even more so than before.

  “Enough!” Hyzen interrupted him.

  “Slowly. Tell me what happened.”

  “Guild Master, sir… the potato fields to the south, they’ve… they’ve been ransacked… destroyed beyond anything I’ve ever seen.” As he spoke, gloom rallied around the young alchemist.

  Instantly, Hyzen’s eyes widened.

  “The southern fields?” Hyzen mumbled. “But… but the southern fields were just cultivated, weren’t they? The crops couldn’t have been ripe so…”

  “Why ransack it at all?” Blue finished Hyzen’s sentence.

  The two men looked at each other. Blue waited for Hyzen’s response while Hyzen stared into the beyond.

  “Sir?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What should we do?” Blue asked.

  “About what?”

  “A-About the fields?” Blue hesitated.

  Hyzen’s eyes widened.

  “Martha! Issue an emergency quest immediately! Find who did this! And you!” Hyzen stuck his finger in-between the knight’s helmet.

  “Send word to the capital. The second caravan would have docked today. Confirm it.”

  Hyzen released a pent up breath and plopped into his chair. He rubbed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose.

  Then, he opened his eyes again.

  And the two idiots were still there.

  “Now I’m done with you!” Hyzen barked.

  The knight readied a bow.

  “Leave!”

  ***

  “I’m back!!” Amanda shouted through the compound as she tumbled on through the back door.

  Her shoulder slammed into the door frame and she buckled upon entering. Within her arms, she carried a wicker basket stuffed to the brim with locally sourced produce: herbs, spices, five salmon, and six red leeks.

  Amanda haphazardly tossed the basket onto the kitchen island and then plopped herself down onto one of the stools that sat around it.

  Just as she sat, another woman appeared from the other end of the kitchen. She had white hair and wore a long, black and white skirt.

  “Did you find everything alright?” Seven asked as she pulled the basket near her.

  “Yeah.” Amanda nodded. “Is Jerm back yet?”

  “Your brother?” Seven separated the fish first. She grabbed a knife from behind her and skillfully gutted the salmon.

  “He and the others should be back before nightfall. Lord Cassian has an announcement to make tonight, so I’m sure they won’t be late.” Seven said.

  “Here. You can help.” Seven slid the leeks across the island.

  “Cut the roots off first. Then, separate the red tops from the white stems. Cut the stems into thin rings and toss them into that bowl; then cut the red part in half.” Seven instructed.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Amanda listened diligently. She grabbed a smaller knife from the drawer beneath her and began chopping alongside Seven.

  “Where’d they go today?” Amanda asked.

  “Shopping.” Seven yanked the spines out of the salmon. Then, she cut the fish’s flesh into cubes.

  “What are they shopping for?” Amanda finished cutting the leeks.

  “Here. Pour some water into the bowl and stir it. We wanna make sure we get all of the dirt out before we eat it.” Seven handed her a jug of water.

  “And just the usual porter materials; an uncomfortably large backpack, a set of support stones, lock-picking equipment, gauze and other tonics. Really anything Dublow deems necessary.” Seven grabbed a bundle of herbs and separated them into equal piles.

  For a few minutes, the two girls worked in silence. Amanda continued to clean the leeks while Seven prepared a rub for the salmon. She diced the herbs up minisculely small and then mixed them with a spoonful of darker-than-normal honey and one other thin, black liquid.

  “D-Do you think they’ll be okay?” Amanda’s voice was meek.

  “I know Jerm says he’s strong and all… but Mom says the dungeon is scary. I hope —”

  “He’ll be fine.” Seven squeezed the little girl’s shoulder. “I know he looks ancient, but Dublow is quite capable. I’ve trusted him with my life many times before and I’m still here, aren’t I?” Seven smiled. She ruffled Amanda’s hair and kissed her on the forehead.

  “Ancient?” A deep voice interrupted.

  From the compound’s back door, Dublow and two other boys entered.

  “Jeremy!!” Amanda jumped off of the stool and ran towards her brother. Meanwhile, Dublow came around the kitchen island and smelled what they were cooking.

  He stole a cube of salmon and lobbed it into his mouth, much to the dismay of Seven’s glare.

  “Why can’t you ever wait?!” Seven snatched the bowl of marinating salmon away.

  “Why can’t you understand that salmon is better raw?” Dublow reached for another cube, but Seven swatted his gloved hand away first.

  Behind the two white hairs, the three kids talked incessantly. First, it was Amanda with an onslaught of questions: where did you go, who did you see, what did you buy?

  When she finally finished her bombardment of questions, Jeremy took over and he hadn’t stopped talking since.

  Jeremy’s arm was lost inside a backpack as tall as him. Shoulder-length deep, he rummaged through the bag for minutes and carefully showed his sister everything they bought today.

  Beside him, another boy of similar age added sound effects.

  “This is a butter ball!” Jeremy showed off.

  “Oooooh! Aaaaah!” The other boy exclaimed.

  *clap* *clap*

  “Alright everyone! You can show off your new goodies later! Amanda still has work to do.” Seven guided the three children with practiced ease.

  Amanda returned to her stool amongst the island while the three boys went back outside. Although Jeremy and Ty (the other boy) were hired as porters, Jeremy begged Dublow to teach him how to wield a knife.

  At first, Dublow ignored him, but if Jeremy was anything it was stubborn. After the third day of only saying the word ‘please,’ Dublow conceded and agreed to teach Jeremy the bare basics of knife wielding; and naturally once Ty had learned of what had happened — he too demanded to be taught.

  Of course, they first needed Lord Cassian’s permission, but in his own words he said, “Your free time is your free time, as long as it’s spent not bothering me.”

  So for an hour, the boys trained in the courtyard while the girls prepared dinner. Eventually, Seven skewered the salmon cubes and barbecued them outside over a wooden flame.

  When it was finally time to eat, and the table was set, Lord Cassian then made his debut. He strolled down the stairs leisurely and yawned amongst its final steps.

  Cassian looked tired. He had bags under his eyes and his posture was slouched, yet his gaze remained steadfast. He sat at the head of the table where the food was already divvied for him.

  He grabbed his glass and sipped the white wine that paired well with fish. He nodded his head, perhaps in approval of the meal, then glanced at the five people sitting around the dining table.

  “Tomorrow the four of you will head south while Amanda familiarizes herself with the lab. You will leave at dawn and I expect you will be gone for at least three days. You will be looking for this.” Cassian pulled out a parchment from who knows where and slid it across the table.

  Depicted on the parchment was a pencil drawing of a four-petaled flower. The four petals were white with a red stripe painted across the center’s of each of them. The flower’s stem had no leaves and no foliage, and it grew by its lonesome — one flower per root.

  “This is a Blood-Moon flower.” Cassian stated.

  “They only bloom during the winter and they’re at their ripest during a full moon, which is two nights away. If you find the flower before the full moon, do not pick it. Wait for the full moon.”

  Jeremy raised his hand.

  “Question?” Cassian called on him.

  “Is the flower poisonous? Should we wear gloves?” Jeremy asked.

  “No. It is not poisonous, but good question, Jeremy. Dublow is familiar with this flower. If you have any further inquiries about the flower itself, ask him. Also, I only need one full flower. If you happen to come across more than one, mark them on a map but do not pick them. Is that understood?”

  “Yes!” Jerm said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Crystal.”

  Jeremy’s hand shot up again.

  Cassian looked at him.

  “What do you want, Jeremy?”

  “When do we get to go to the dungeon?!!”

  “When I say so.” Cassian answered. “Any other questions?”

  Jeremy’s arm twitched, but Amanda sternly stopped him.

  “Good. Now eat. We don’t want it to get cold.”

  Then, Seven stood from the table and began serving the others. Meanwhile, Amanda walked around with the jug of water and poured everyone’s drinks.

  Jeremy stuffed his face. Dublow and Seven ate slowly and methodically. Amanda ate her leeks first whilst Ty tried to avoid them altogether.

  When dinner finished, Cassian returned to his lab. Ty went home for the night and Dublow retreated to his quarters. Seven and Amanda cleaned the dishes while Jeremy waited for his sister.

  By the time they finished, it was already nearing the kid’s bedtime. Seven quickly paid the two for their day’s work and sent them home.

  She needed sleep as well, after all, but before she did so, Seven prepared a pot of tea for her Lord and brought it to his quarters. He wasn’t sleeping as of late and Seven hoped the tea might help.

  The next morning…

  Jeremy and Amanda arrived before daybreak. They jogged through empty cobblestone streets and cut through back alleyways. Since Lord Cassian owned his own plot of land, it stood on the far northern outskirts of town, near the edge of the mountainous spires.

  To avoid running through Main Street, the two hopped over residential fences and slipped through privately owned backyards. Lord Cassian’s estate was easy to find, thankfully, as lightning bugs littered the rose bushes that surrounded his land.

  The lightning bugs gave the Lord’s estate a magical feel. It was the only place Amanda could think of where the lights flickered amongst the ground like it did the sky.

  Amanda also loved the Lord’s home; his kitchen was larger than her bedroom and it was made of materials she had only ever seen in important buildings like banks and Guild Halls.

  Artwork lined the walls of his home and his furniture was crafted of leather and covered in pelts so soft and so luscious that Amanda compared them to the clouds above.

  The lightning bugs also had her brother bewitched; and if it weren’t for that, Amanda knew there was no way her brother would agree to arrive an hour early. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about it.

  When they arrived, the lightning bugs danced around them and Jeremy’s eyes appeared lost in them. Amanda paid better attention to her surroundings, however, she always had; it was something her mother always seriously stressed.

  As a result, Amanda noticed the flickering of candle light from the Lord’s quarters. It was the same as it was when she left after dinner.

  Did the Lord not rest? She wondered.

  Then, Dublow appeared from behind the left building. He rode atop a well-polished carriage with the reins of two stallions in his hands.

  The black horses pulled the shiny carriage around the compound and stopped just shy of Amanda and Jeremy.

  “What are you two doing here so early?”

  “We’re here to see the lightning bugs!” Jeremy raised his hand out of reflex as he answered.

  “Ahh. Of course.” Dublow stroked his goatee. “Lightning bugs are one of his Lordship’s favorite species. He insisted on cultivating the grounds for them here.”

  “Is the Lord not sleeping?” Amanda asked.

  Dublow looked at Amanda, then at the Lord’s window along the second floor.

  “I can assure you his Lordship is safe. This is an unfortunate habit of his. He can find himself so lost in his research that he neglects his health in the process. Thankfully, this stage of his study typically spells the end of his obsession. I believe whatever his Lordship is studying, he’s sure to finish it soon.”

  Soon thereafter, Ty arrived before sunrise. With all portable worker’s available, the three kids followed Seven’s instructions and began loading the carriage with various baskets and a few empty crates.

  In addition to rations, firewood, and some kitchenware, Dublow also purchased the three kids their own sleeping bags and travel pillows.

  By the time the sun kissed the ocean’s reflection, the carriage was packed and the party of four was ready to depart. The journey to the southern tropics should take them just under twelve hours, just enough time to hopefully settle before nightfall.

  Before they left, however, Seven beckoned Lord Cassian’s attention. She confidently strode up the stairs and knocked on his door.

  “My Lord, the carriage is packed and we’re due to depart. Amanda is also here, ready to study.”

  From beyond the oak door, a chair shuffled and creaks in the wood displaced before the Lord’s door opened. He stepped out slightly rugged.

  The whites of his eyes were now bloodshot and his thick locks of hair were tangled behind him. He slowly descended the stairs then stood outside.

  He offered Dublow and the others a gentle smile goodbye. He waved alongside Amanda as their carriage disappeared around the corner’s bend.

  Then, he returned up the stairs with Amanda in tow.

  It was Amanda’s first time in Lord Cassian’s private quarters; his desk was huge and glossy, it stretched greater than her wingspan and rested along the wall beneath the window.

  His bed, too, was larger than life in Amanda’s eyes; it could fit four, maybe five adults next to each other comfortably. That was more than Amanda’s whole family.

  Meanwhile, his bed was unmade and his desk was a mess. Loose papers were scattered among the floor in addition to crumbled up notes and torn ideas.

  On the left side of his desk, two beakers of liquid sat beside his lantern. One was clear like water, while the other was purple like poison.

  “This is water from the dungeon.” Lord Cassian sat at his desk and handed the young girl the vial.

  “You can’t tell by looking at it, but it contains enough mana to charge three initiate spells.”

  Amanda wasn’t a mage herself, neither were her parents, but her and Jeremy grew up around adventurers — so mana was not a foreign concept to her.

  “The water can cast magic?” Amanda asked.

  “In theory.” Cassian replied. “But similar to how mages must discover the proper pathways to enact spells, I too must discover the use for the water’s stored mana.”

  Cassian then grabbed the other vial and handed it to Amanda.

  “This is venom from the dungeon’s Batarangs.” Cassian rummaged through his notes.

  “They’re the greatest hurdle to the adventurer’s progress. Because of them, the dungeon’s exploration has all but nulled. Here, look at this.” Cassian sought after another parchment.

  “I’ve recorded the molecular structure of everything brought out of the dungeon thus far — and based on these two bonds — I just have a feeling the water and the venom are connected. Look at these two areas here.” Cassian pointed at the two distinct bonds circled on the parchment.

  “It looks like they fit, but every time I introduce one to the other — everything falls apart; the bonds, their cell walls… the mana disperses and collapses in on itself, expending the stored mana for nothing.”

  Amanda looked between the scattered parchments and the two vials. She did her best to digest Lord Cassian’s words, but she was unfamiliar with terms like ‘bonds’ and ‘molecular.’

  Cassian noticed the hesitation on her face and, before she could attempt a response, he raised his hands and took the vials back from her.

  “The first book on the third shelf. Go grab it and begin reading. You have until dinner to finish.”

  Cassian looked away then paused.

  “You can read, can’t you?” He asked.

  “Yes!!” Amanda chirped. “Mom taught us!”

  “Good.” Cassian nodded. “Now go. If you have a question, save it for the end of a chapter. I want you to fully engage with what you don’t understand before you come to me with it. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Lord! Sir!” Then, Amanda scurried away while Cassian returned to his studies. He was so close to something. He was right there. He was sure of it.

  Soon. He told himself.

  Soon. I can rest.