Theo bristled at the growling voice behind him. He turned his head just enough to see Maraz’s face, a mask of thinly veiled fury.

“Impressive spellwork, Theo,” Maraz said, stepping past him. “I’ll take the… interrogation, if that’s what you were attempting, from here.”

“That’s not what I- how did you find me?” Theo asked, eyeing the footsteps Maraz had made in the stardust.

“...You did scream for help,” Maraz said, stepping over to the trapped assailants. “Now, who is it that has the gall to interfere with one of my cases?”

Theo winced at the rip, followed by a whimper of pain, that tore out as Maraz pulled the congealed water-stardust mixture off of the man’s face - taking a chunk of facial hair with it.

“Maraz! You can’t just-” He latched onto the man’s arm for mere moments before he was pushed away. His own ribs screamed at the sudden motion, but he kept his mouth shut - even if his eyes watered up a bit.

“I don’t have it in me to be patient with you right now, Theo,” Maraz growled, his honey-gold eyes smoldering with rage. He turned back to the two thugs. “Would you like to enlighten me as to who is interfering?”

The man stared at Maraz, a mix of fear and acrimony on his face. He shook his head.

“My apologies,” Maraz said, a malevolent grin growing on his face. “I accidentally phrased that as a question.” A massive hand, glowing with runes, planted on the head of the man’s partner - the spatial mage. Her eyes widened, a small whimper barely sounding out from behind her congealed prison.

Theo’s eyes mimicked hers. He moved in, grabbing onto Maraz’s arm. “Maraz! No! This can be solved without violence!” He tugged with all his might, trying to pry Maraz’s grip off of the woman. The arm didn’t budge in the slightest.

“Theo, now is truly not the time to be testing my patience,” Maraz said, reaching over with his other arm and grabbing Theo by the vest.

At that moment, Theo knew flight. For all of half a second. He landed on the ground with a yelp, fire burning through his torso.

By the time his head stopped spinning, the woman was screaming in pain as Maraz’s grip slowly tightened on her head.

“You have about ten seconds until she pops. Tell me who sent you,” Maraz roared, a vein popping out on his neck.

“Pelles Relicor! It was Pelles Relicor,” the man said, breathing a sigh of relief when Maraz let go of the woman’s head.

“Relicor. That damnable alchemist. But why would…” Maraz turned to Theo.

Theo’s stomach lurched, threatening to empty itself. He… hadn’t realized Maraz was capable of… that. He shifted backward, gaining any distance he could from the man.

Maraz glanced between Theo and the woman. He took a deep breath, his face shifting to a mask of… something adjacent to calm. “Oh, please, Theo. As if I’d have actually gone through with it. I just wanted answers and this was the fastest way to them. Relicor is… not who I wanted to hear, though.”

He hadn’t- He wasn’t going to actually end the woman like that? But he’d been so… aggressive about it. “But you- and her head- and you-” Words escaped Theo.

Maraz ignored that, pressing on with his train of thought. “Theo, what would Relicor want with you?” Somehow, the fake calm he projected was worse. A shiver ran down Theo’s spine.

“Relicor? I um, well, you see, there was this forest and um- Oh dear, the Terrents! He must know they let me in,” Theo said, pushing himself up to his feet with considerable effort. The world swayed around him until he found his bearings. A mix of physical and magical fatigue wore at his mind.

“Theo,” Maraz snapped. “What forest? Why is Pelles Relicor sending thugs after you?”

Theo grasped at his vest button, fiddling with it. “Oh, well, Pelles Relicor happens to… have an enchanted portion of the forest hidden away. It was like a dungeon, but… aboveground. The mana density was surprisingly high and it was filled with rare ingredients. And I- I may have um, collected. Just a bit. And now the family who works for him that showed me how to get into that forest might be in trouble!”

“Theo, I don’t care about some indentured servants,” Maraz said, taking another deep breath, his voice shifting to a thoughtful mutter. “I’d always suspected he had some kind of source but… an entire portion of forest hidden away? How long has the Relicor family hidden this? And why didn’t he- Nevermind. How did you get into the forest?”

Theo’s legs wobbled under him, but he stood taller. “That’s- I’m not telling you.”

Maraz glanced at the two thugs still standing next to him. He closed his eyes for just a moment before opening them once more after an exhale through the nose. “Probably right with these two around. I’ll pay you a visit later. For now, I have more questions to ask them. Can you release this spell now? I’ll walk you home first, just in case Relicor sent more, but I want them to follow.”

Swallowing, Theo cleared his throat. “Um. I… may have drained my entire mana pool with that Condense. I believe I’ve torn open some of the Snap tears once more too.”

A sigh left Maraz. “So. You can’t reverse this?” He lifted a hand toward the two assailants.

“Not- Not exactly. I suspect the spell will sustain itself for probably… at least until sunrise. The sunlight should break it apart but beyond that, the properties of the water are changed and I can’t cast Diffuse right now. We could uh, peel it off but… that would likely tear their clothes away and possibly all of their hair,” Theo said, regretting his addition of that last solution.

“I’m not totally opposed to the idea,” Maraz said, shrugging.

The fire-throwing thug cleared his throat. “Um, I very much am.”

The spatial mage muffled something to the same effect.

“No talking unless I speak to you,” Maraz said, pushing the congealed water back around the man’s mouth, much to the man’s muffled complaints. A more genuine smile filled his face after that.

“Maraz, if you don’t mind, I really should be getting back to my shop so if you’re busy I’m just going to-”

“You’re not going anywhere without me. I still don’t know if Relicor has others tailing you and I am not letting him go after my mark,” Maraz said, glaring off into the distance.

“...How comforting,” Theo said, frowning.

“I’ll just make use of this again.” Maraz flashed his ring, the same one he’d levitated Adam with. Grabbing onto the two thugs, one in each hand, runes lit up on his hands as he pulled up on the congealed water coating on the two. With a crack, part of the ground came up with them. His eyebrows rose. “...That can be fixed. How much mana did you pour into this spell anyway?”

“...All of it? I don’t know, I’m still getting used to being Tier 3,” Theo said, crossing his arms and glaring at Maraz.

After he peeled the two thugs off of his fingers, cursing about how sticky it was, he lifted up his hand. The ring flashed, reaching a steady glow, and the two of them lifted up into the air. “You’re welcome for that, by the way. Gave you a little boost.” He grinned, some of his typical jeering returning, somehow a relief in comparison to the previous rage.

Theo gave Maraz a flat smile and turned to begin walking. The man took up pace right next to him. For all that he faulted the man, he did at least look fairly vigilant as they moved down the street. Comforting, if it weren’t for the fact that it was because he was a “mark,” apparently.

“Maraz?” Theo asked.

“Yes?”

“Please never make me witness something like that again,” Theo said. His stomach still twisted thinking about it.

“Don’t get yourself knee-deep in shit with the most affluent alchemist family in Romuen then,” Maraz said, shrugging.

Theo’s cheeks burned. He glanced up at the man. “...Fair. I thought if I was careful… Speaking of careful, why did nobody come running when you had them- uh, screaming?”

“You think someone with a job like mine doesn’t have a sound-muffling enchantment on him at all times?” Maraz said, raising a brow.

Mulling over that, Theo pursed his lips. “Oh. But then why didn’t you just muffle them out of it when you asked me about the forest?”

“There’s a multitude of reasons, one being that it works in an area and I can’t control that part. I also don’t know if either of them have spells that could pierce it. I’d rather be careful. And… with those ribs you’re certainly not going far from home anytime soon.” Maraz flashed Theo a look of his perfectly white teeth.

“Right. I would appreciate an apology for throwing me,” Theo said, feeling at his rather sore backside.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Maraz said, his grin widening. At least needling Theo seemed to be improving his mood.

Theo scowled at Maraz but decided to drop it. “So what are- what are you going to do with them?”

Maraz eyed the two floating figures. “Interrogate them more probably? Should be easier now that I know the guy has a soft spot for the lady.”

“Can’t you just… let them go? They’ve been through enough tonight,” Theo said, a small part of him wondering if he could trip Maraz and take the ring. Probably not. More than likely the man’s tree trunk legs would just break his own if he tried that.

Chuckling, Maraz shook his head. “How does a shopkeeper who sells stock like yours get off on this whole non-violence thing?”

“I- those are for monsters, not people.” Theo picked up his pace, not wanting to meet Maraz’s gaze.

“And these two aren’t monsters? Do you know what they would have done if they caught you?” Maraz asked, pointing a thumb at the two.

“W-What?” Theo asked, the reality of what he’d just been through crashing down on him again.

“Either break your arms, your legs, maybe both, or just off you. I’ll find all that out later,” Maraz said with a wink.

Theo blinked, a shiver running down his spine. “...Oh. How did they find me anyway? Wouldn’t you have noticed them or something?”

“While I’m glad to know you have that much confidence in my abilities, no. I’m not all-powerful. They probably just followed your footsteps in the stardust,” Maraz said, holding up a hand and letting the granules of magic gather in his palm.

In the distance, Theo spotted his shop. A wave of relief filled him that soon, he’d be away from Maraz. He’d known that the man… had a job, but seeing it first-person was something entirely different. Curiosity sunk its teeth into him, however. “Have you- have you ever-”

“No, Theo. I may be… who I am, but I don’t kill,” Maraz said, his stare turning serious.

Thep swallowed. “Right. Of course. That's, um. Good. I think.”

The man sighed, laying a hand on Theo’s back. He pushed lightly. “You go home now. I apparently have a late night ahead of me.”

A frown fell over Theo’s face. “You sure you can’t-”

“No.”

“O-Okay.”

Maraz spun on his heel, walking back down the street, only the crunch of stardust filling the otherwise quiet night.

Theo realized a critical problem as soon as he reached the door. Stardust. He usually cleaned himself off with Broomgust before going into any home. But… no mana. He had the tiniest bit from the moonlight on his walk home, but it wasn’t enough to sustain his spell for even the barest of moments. Not even enough to activate it.

Sighing, he brushed himself off as best as he could and ruffled his hand through his hair. Once he reached a “good enough,” he opened the door and stepped inside.

The screech of a chair scooting back peeled out from behind his kitchen door. Telsa burst through seconds later. “Theo! Are you okay? What did he say? Why are you… soaking wet?”

“Maraz… wanted to negotiate healing Adam. In exchange for me falling into line and ‘correcting’ my prices. Oh, and I was nearly assaulted by some thugs,” Theo added, avoiding Telsa’s eyes.

“You were- what? Theo, damnit, I should have followed you or something,” Telsa said, pounding a fist on a shelf. “Wait, how does mugging lead to you being soaking wet? Did you have to swim away? The river isn’t even that close to us.”

“I- I need to change first. I believe the stress kept off until now but I’m… quite cold,” Theo said, finally noticing the chill permeating his body. It was spring but… the nights were still cold. He shivered.

“You do that. I’ll just… sit here and worry more. It’s fine,” Telsa said, hopping up on Theo’s counter.

Theo nodded, the fatigue of the day hitting him. He shuffled into his back room, his heart panging when he saw Adam laying on his bed. A bandage-covered chest rose and fell rhythmically.

I’ll get you better soon, Adam, Theo promised. Maybe- Maybe Maraz had a point. But, there was still the option that Galeen suggested with that perren, too. Vidalia, a tier 7 Integral mage? That would definitely be enough - just, expensive. He had the ingredients from the forest to make some exceedingly profitable potions, though.

Hopefully, Relicor wouldn’t be a problem as long as Maraz fended him off. But the Terrents too… Theo undressed - away from Adam in his bathroom, and pulled on fresh clothes while his head spun with the pile of problems laying before him.

The Terrents had offered the forest but, now Theo felt responsible for them. He couldn’t think of many ways that Pelles Relicor wouldn’t know that they gave him access to the forest. What did the masters of indentured servants do to them when they disobeyed? He didn’t know, those weren’t a thing in Renwurd.

He felt… frustrated. And powerless.

His skin still cold, Theo walked back out to Telsa, wrapping a blanket around himself. He hoped he wouldn’t end up with a cold or something.

Telsa turned to him, a soft smile on her face. “Hey, I’m sorry. You had… a lot go on and I kinda assaulted you with questions the second you walked in.”

Theo returned the smile. “It’s fine. You were worried. Where are Deskan and Nils?”

“They left a bit before you got here. They did bring all of the stuff that Galeen said Adam would need, though. Galeen left plenty of instructions too in case you forget anything they told you,” Telsa said, patting a box on Theo’s counter.

“Well, that’s reassuring. I hope I can take good enough care…” Theo said, staring back at the door to his home.

“You’re gonna do fine, and I’ll visit every day to help out too. I’ll see if I can get Nils to come help out with your shop too. While I think Maraz is full of shit, you probably should increase your prices just a little. Even I think they’re too cheap. You’re robbing yourself with how low you are below the average,” Telsa said, gesturing to Theo’s various price signs.

“That… would be appreciated. I’m not sure how much lifting I’ll be able to do until my ribs are better,” Theo said, lightly running a hand over his side.

“I can get Deskan to do it. She needs to strengthen her arms anyway, she relies on her bow enchantments too much. Nils is better at the administrative stuff. Anyway, you were looking a little blue so I didn’t press it immediately but… what is this about healing Adam?” Telsa asked, bouncing her feet against Theo’s counter.

Theo’s expression dropped. “Well, I should probably start from the beginning…”

Telsa picked up her cup of tea off Theo’s kitchen table once he’d finished his retelling. “Theo, I wouldn’t put it off the table as an option, but I think if we do some requests and help you out around the shop, we can probably scrounge up enough money to pay for his healing. Adam would be pissed if you dropped all your morals to save him. Do you know how much he talked to us about how there was ‘finally a shopkeeper with a good heart’ once he met you?”

“He said that?” Theo asked, some of the indecision in him waning.

“It was all he could talk about,” Telsa said, rolling her eyes. “I’m honestly surprised he didn’t ask you out the second time he saw you. He’s bull-headed like that.”

Theo sat up a little straighter, his eyes drifting to Adam’s unconscious form in his bed. “He… certainly was fast about this. I’ve only had one other relationship, and it was much slower. I don’t exactly mind the shift of pace. I just wish it hadn’t ended up here.”

Telsa took another long sip of her tea. “Adam is an adventurer. This stuff is anticipated. I won’t lie and say it’s fine, but it’s not unexpected. He was prepared to protect you.”

“I just wish these weren’t the consequences…” Theo said, staring down at the table. His head drooped a bit and his eyes felt heavy.

Telsa set her cup down. “Same here, Theo. It’s late though. You’re exhausted, I can tell. You’re nearly falling asleep at the table. How about you get some rest and we can talk about this more some other time?”

“That would be nice… Where will I sleep though?” he asked, glancing at his bed.

“Good question. I’d say with Adam, you’re dating after all, but… he’s still pretty cut up. I have an idea though, wait here,” Telsa said, standing up and dashing into his room.

A concerning amount of shuffling made Theo try to peek in, but Telsa closed the door. Once she opened it, she gestured Theo in.

“Tadaa!” Telsa said, standing next to a pile of vests on the ground, shaped into something that vaguely resembled a bed.

Theo stood, unblinking. He weighed his options, but nothing better came up immediately. He sighed. “...I’ll take it.”