Veldin would have much preferred to visit the apothecary on his own if given the option. With how quick Misha had been to recall the little shop, however, it was inevitable that option would not be available. If anything, Veldin decided he was fortunate he’d been able to convince Remerick not to accompany the pair as well. It was obvious he’d wanted to join to supervise the entire exchange, even if he claimed he only wanted to come along for the walk through the city. Veldin wondered whether this was more of Remerick’s typical protectiveness or if he’d officially crossed over into “clingy.” That was a train of thought Veldin quickly gave up, though, on account of the subtle yet lingering ache in his head that made it difficult to focus.

When Veldin opened the door to the shop, it looked to be empty at a glance. The counter was unattended, with the only signs that anyone was present in the shop being low voices barely noticeable behind a door off to the side, the room where Zel did his work.

The door opened not a moment later. It was pushed open by a couple of Zel’s arachnid limbs, allowing the mousefolk girl who attended the counter to step back into the shop’s main room with a box in her hands.

In the moment the door was opened, a woman’s voice from beyond it could be heard saying, “And who is this ‘Vicar’ individual then, Zel?”

“I assure you, Rosalie,” Zel was saying, not noticing the others present in the shop, “the client was no one more than…” And the door was shut again before more of the conversation could be heard.

The mousefolk put her box down on the shop’s floor, muttering to herself, “The day we get a smaller door installed there…” She looked up, noticing, at last, the shop’s present guests, her attention particularly falling to Misha. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t even see you there! You’re back, hello!” She sounded especially cheerful for simply seeing a returning customer.

“Hello, Latalia.” Misha made her way to one of the shelves lined with dried leaves and other herbal ingredients. She tilted her head towards the door Latalia had just come from and asked, “Is everything alright back there?”

“Oh. Did you hear some of that? You weren’t supposed to, uh… No, it’s fine, Zel and Rosalie are just talking.”

The shop owner was in tonight, then. Veldin hadn’t bothered to confirm how aware she was of the specialty items Zel sold, and he was not going to risk bringing the topic up now. “I take it Zel is busy at the moment, then?”

Latalia looked up at Veldin, tapping her tiny fingers on the box she’d carried out and humming with a pause that indicated she recognized him as well. She made her way back to the door, knocking on it and calling out loudly, “Guest for Zel if you two have a moment!”

There was a pause, then the door opened once more, fully this time as a woman stood in the doorway. She was perhaps middle-aged, with light lines creasing her face, and she wore a long white coat covering the rest of her clothing. Auburn red hair was tied in a bun on the back of her head, and glasses with slender, angular frames sat across the bridge of her nose. Holding a leather-bound book in one hand, she smiled with thinly pursed lips as she looked at Veldin and Misha.

“Well, my apologies,” the woman said. Her tone was trying to be gentle, but there was an obvious edge to it as if whatever conversation was going on behind the door had set her off. “I didn’t even realize anyone had entered the shop, I hadn’t meant to keep anyone waiting. For Zel, was it?”

“Yes, I have need to speak with him, if you would not mind the intrusion,” Veldin said.

“Of course, by all means,” the woman, Rosalie, said. She stepped away from the door to allow Veldin to enter, shutting the door behind himself.

Inside the room, Zel the alrachni was sitting leaned back in the chair by his haphazardly-organized desk. “Ah, you again. Well, hello there,” he said. “Don’t mind Rosalie, she only had some questions about our inventory.”

“Should I, as something of a regular visitor of yours, have any concerns about those questions?”

Zel waved a hand — along with a couple of arachnid limbs — in a dismissive manner. “Of course not, perish the thought. Now then, the elixir, I take it?” He opened the drawer of his desk, sorting through the items inside.

"Correct. And, that being said," Veldin continued, checking through his coat for his coin purse, "I will be needing a larger quantity than the last time."

"I did say the effects won't last as long if you keep taking this."

"That is not the concern."

Zel looked up at Veldin, eyebrow raised. "And... how much are you looking for?"

"How much do you have available?"

Zel narrowed his eyes at Veldin. "It's going to be quite a hefty sum to purchase that much of the stuff. I don't accept debt and loans, mind you—"

"I can pay upfront, you need not worry."

Zel nodded, his expression switching to one of approval, and he said, "Very well. Let's see how much we've got to work with, then."

The following day, as Aliana walked through the city streets for once without her armor and with a distinct lack of Moonlight at her hip, she couldn’t help but beam with joy. Technically, she was still on business. She needed to find someone, anyone, who may have known about the scale shard near the city. But it was another day spent with Liessa, and now Misha and Grey as well. Being able to enjoy the sunlight in Indervel with the people she cared about, Aliana was treating the day like any other.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Misha was saying to a passing woman who warily eyed the great big wolf more than she looked at the mousefolk on his shoulders. “Have you seen anything strange around — wait, no, hold on, he doesn’t bite!” But the woman was already quickly walking down the road and away from the group.

“I can’t say a wolf is the strangest thing I’ve ever seen here on the streets,” Liessa said, “but I think most people still won’t be accustomed to having one walk right up to them.”

“I didn’t want to leave him at the inn again, though…” Misha scratched behind one of Grey’s ears and he gave a single wag of his tail in answer.

Aliana gestured up ahead with one hand. “It’s no problem, the market plaza’s just up ahead. There’ll be plenty of people to ask there—”

Just as Aliana was finishing that sentence, however, the sound of a scream broke through the air. Others followed it almost immediately after, turning into the sounds of a panicked crowd up ahead where Aliana could see the market stalls.

"What's going on?!" Misha shouted as Grey began to growl. Liessa was running already towards the commotion, opposite the people who had begun fleeing from the market plaza in terror. Realizing she could hardly be left behind, Aliana began chasing after her to the site of the chaos with Misha and Grey close behind.

Up ahead, scattered people were either hiding behind stalls that displayed fruits and fresh meat among other wares or were standing frozen in terror, staring at the thing that had prompted the panic. It looked like a drake at first, one that had knocked over several of the stalls and was mercifully distracted by fresh cuts of meat scattered over the ground. But Aliana saw the extra limbs that sprouted from the sides of its body. Oversized wings draped onto the ground alongside the thing as if it could not properly control them, and its mouth opened to reveal countless jagged fangs. But the sign that gave away its true nature was the coloration—dark splotches of color spread over its body.

“Run away from here! Get away now!” Misha shouted at the people who stood mesmerized by the sight. Her shout succeeded in snapping a few of them out of their horrified stupor and they began to flee as well. Misha stood from Grey's shoulder, instinctively reaching for her bow only to find it was not there, still at the inn. What a time to be unprepared, and even without Veldin of all people, who needed no weapon to be ready for combat. Aliana would give him that much at least. Grey snarled, prepared to charge forward. Before he could, however, a figure appeared.

Dropping down from above as if they’d come from a rooftop or even the sky itself was a figure clad in a full suit of silver-blue armor, a matching horned helmet covering their face. They brought a weapon — a glaive — down directly atop the drake as they landed. The weapon pierced the back of the beast’s long serpentine body and it let out a pained roar. It whipped around just as the armored warrior drew their weapon free of the scales and leaped back from the monster. From here, Aliana could see the wound on the drake’s back regenerating already.

“It’s the Azure Knight!” one of the onlookers cried out, relief flooding their voice.

Aliana had no chance to question that statement or the warrior’s title as the battle continued. The drake hissed and lunged towards the “Azure Knight” on its powerful legs, the natural ones, and jumped through the air.

The warrior did not so much as flinch. Instead, they ran forward, glaive thrusting towards the drake and impaling straight through its open mouth and into its throat. The drake's flight from its jump was thrown off and the thing crashed into the ground in a heap, writhing and thrashing. And, even with the creature’s regenerative abilities, the warrior pressed this advantage and plunged the weapon they held down into the monster's neck, severing its head from its body.

Slowly, the merchants and shoppers who had hidden throughout the markets emerged from their makeshift shelters, first watching the scene warily and then breaking out into cheers. A few people even ran towards the knight, crying out in thanks and appreciation. The knight answered only with a subtle nod and stepped away from the people.

Aliana looked around at her allies, trying to understand what had just happened. A drake, one reinforced by the warped powers of Opal, felled in two weapon strokes so easily. Liessa stared on at the armored figure, eyes tracking their movement.

"Don't get too close to it!" Misha shouted, trying to warn the onlookers away from the drake's corpse. Grey walked forward for her, his size causing the people present to shy away. Aliana followed, stopping once she was close enough to the drake's corpse to get a better look. As she scanned the thing, she saw no sign of a scale shard.

She shared a glance with Misha, who nodded as if she had noticed the same detail. The corruption did not spread from this drake, it was not the source. But it was enough to know a shard was nearby.

Up ahead, Aliana saw the armored figure walking away all too nonchalantly for what had just happened.

“Aliana,” Misha said, “Liessa and I can ask the people here what they know. Go catch up to… whoever that is.”

Aliana nodded and sprinted after the knight, calling out to them, “Wait! Hold on, I need to talk to you!”

"I’m going to have to decline," came a voice behind the helmet of the armor. The voice was soft and spoke with smooth confidence, neither particularly masculine nor feminine in tone. "I have places to be."

"What was that drake doing here?! Were there any others in the city?!"

"Others," the figure repeated, slowing in their steps at last. "You're expecting others to be here?"

"Please," Aliana insisted. “My friends and I are looking for the source of those things. If you know anything, you have to tell us!”

There was a pause, then a nod, and the figure waved a hand, "Fine. Get your friends, come with me."

H. G. Emerson.

That was the name engraved on a small metal plaque mounted on a door in the finely-decorated building the armored figure escorted the group to. In this place of finely-polished dark wood, paintings and sculptures were prominently on display on the walls or on pedestals. All the sort of things Aliana expected to break just by looking at them.

Before the door with the nameplate was a small desk where a woman, perhaps this “Emerson’s” secretary, sat working away on a typewriter. Misha tilted her head as she stared up at the machine on the desk. Grey, alas, was forced to wait outside the building.

"Is he in?" the armored figure said.

The woman at the desk nodded. "He did say he would be if you returned."

The group’s host opened the door, and inside was an office room with a floor of plush red carpet. Tall shelves lined the walls, filled with books and documents. A heavy wooden desk was accompanied by a cushioned chair rimmed with decorative metal trim.

Seated in the chair was a man, wearing a fine suit and with a great grey mustache over the lower half of his face. He was human as far as Aliana could tell, aging and balding atop his head. He was in the middle of reading a letter in his hands, the envelope off to the side on the desk. The man looked up, eyes moving right past the armored warrior and falling upon the three women accompanying them.

"I see we have guests, then, Archemis?" the man said, his tone musing and curious.

"They had questions about the creatures that’ve been showing up," the figure Archemis said behind the armor.

The man, Emerson if the nameplate was anything to go by, folded the paper and placed it down on the desk. He smiled cordially with a nod to the group. "I see, I see. Well, I assure you, the recent appearances are under control. Archemis and our city's guards have their appearances handled quite readily, and we have the best of our people looking into the matter. I expect it to be resolved promptly."

"About that," Aliana said, "We're looking for the thing that's creating monsters like that."

Emerson's expression shifted to one more actively interested, rather than simply polite formalities. "Are these beings familiar to you, then?"

“Yes, we’ve been fighting those things for weeks!”

Emerson looked at Archemis, a shared gaze between the two that was difficult to make out. "Very well, have a seat," Emerson gestured to a pair of chairs in front of his desk. It seemed Misha would have to make due elsewhere, and she climbed up onto the back of one of the chairs.

"I can explain," Misha said while Aliana and Liessa sat down. "The corruption of those creatures is —"

"Just a moment, Misha," Liessa suddenly spoke up. "I am sorry to interrupt. Mr. ... Emerson, was it?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"I should say we haven't had much chance to be familiarized with your title. Do you mind if I ask what exactly it is you do around the city?"

“Oh, but of course. I must apologize, I take it you’re not a local?”

“I’ve been about, but I travel back and forth. I don’t keep up on the political side of things.”

“I shouldn’t have presumed such in this city of all places — a proper introduction is in order, then. Yes, I am Harold Gregory Emerson. Currently of Indervel’s Grand Council, so you can rest assured this business of monsters is being taken most seriously.”

“The… the Grand Council?” Aliana said in surprise.

Misha tilted her head to the side again, just as confused as she’d been over the typewriter. “The… Sorry, who?”

“They’re the people who rule the city. They pass all the city’s laws and they… do… You know, uh, other… city management things,” Aliana said, struggling for more details than that. She was a swordswoman, not a politician. “Is it… Is it alright for us to just be here in your office, Mr. Emerson?”

“Oh, not to worry, I’m always happy to help address any concerns the citizens and visitors of Indervel may have. And more besides,” Emerson added, gesturing to the armored warrior still standing by the doorway, “I trust Archemis to be capable of handling any… troublemakers that may try to force their way into my office. If Archemis found it fit to escort you here, I have no objections.”

Aliana looked over Archemis. “They… called you the Azure Knight? The people in the markets.”

Archemis reacted with little more than a shrug and said, “People felt the need to give me a title, apparently.”

“They know about you, then? I’ve never heard of you.”

“I’ve only been here the past couple of months.”

“Archemis is still new to my employment,” Emerson elaborated, “but his skills have proved invaluable to defending the people of the city from these creatures and helping with any other work that needs to be done. He’s made quite a name for himself rather quickly.”

“The past couple of weeks especially?” Aliana wondered. It wasn’t unreasonable she’d missed any mention of this when she was last in Indervel with Veldin and Misha, but that detail stuck out to her.

Emerson nodded slightly. “That does sound about right, the first of those monsters appeared not too long ago.”

"Um..." Misha looked to Liessa and seemed to be waiting for any indicator that she could continue with her previous topic.

“Go ahead, Misha,” Liessa said. “I’m sorry I interrupted.”

"Right, well, the scale shards — I mean, that's what's causing the corruption. Those monsters are corrupted by power from a Dragon's scale."

Emerson folded his hands one over the other. "A Dragon? A divine artifact such as that is causing this? Surely this must be the work of Obsidian, must it not?"

Aliana shook her head, though she now realized she had to explain Opal's part in this. As much as this was not Opal's fault, Aliana disliked speaking against her in this way. "One of Opal's scales was tainted and destroyed by rotted magic. We're trying to find the pieces of it before they cause any more problems, and we were hoping to find one near here.”

"Corruption of a scale of Opal? That is most troubling…” There was a pause, then the pensive expression on Emerson’s face faded. He clapped his hands together, a smile spreading across his face, and he said, “But, I think we have nothing to fear, then! We have experts on the matter, how good to hear. Then, allow me to say the following — the monsters that we’ve seen running around the city are common wildlife in the Emerald Plains, this newest drake included.”

Misha’s whiskers twitched and her head tilted to the side again for a moment.

“So…” Aliana said, “How are they getting into the city, then? Unless… Is someone bringing them in?”

Emerson nodded. “Precisely. They aren’t simply appearing on the edges of the city as they would if they were bypassing the walls on their own. There’s no explanation other than they must be transported here in the first place. And, it just so happens, Archemis and my men have recently uncovered a… particular establishment that just so happens to fit the bill for a prime suspect.”

Liessa, listening intently with arms crossed over her chest, spoke up at that. “And when you say you ‘uncovered’ this establishment, I’m guessing there’s a reason it was ‘covered’ in the first place?”

“Yes, well, it is an unfortunate truth that illegal enterprises periodically plant themselves in our city and need to be rooted out from time to time. Indervel is the great City of Crossroads, after all, and I’m afraid it’s inevitable that some of the people who travel through here will be the more unscrupulous types. In this case, we’re talking about a makeshift arena.”

Liessa’s eyebrows raised. “A fighting arena? Well, it’s been some time since I encountered one of those.”

Aliana’s eyes lit up upon hearing that. The prospect of an underground fighting ring was more exciting than she cared to admit in front of a major politician of the city.

“Naturally,” Emerson continued, “drawing a weapon on other people of the city outside of self-defense is a crime even before their gambling comes into play. But it isn’t only the people who take part. They utilize imported beasts in their matches as well.”

“Have you seen them use any of the monsters like the ones in the city, then?” Misha asked.

“We’ve yet to see anything of the sort, but our investigations have been limited. I’d intended to have Archemis take over… But, seeing as how you all are here, your assistance may be greatly appreciated. And would be handsomely rewarded.”

“Rewarded?” Aliana tried not to sound too eager. “I mean, we could always use the money while we’re traveling…” That, and any money to her name that wasn’t being handled by Veldin was always appreciated.

For the first time that conversation, however, Archemis seemed to tense up and direct their attention back to Emerson. “Sir, is that the best idea? We don’t know what we’re dealing with exactly, and most people who’ll fight in an arena like that aren’t exactly the honorable types. Besides, do we really need more people on this?”

“Not to worry, Archemis. Naturally, it’s still up to these fine ladies here if they’d like to do so, nobody’s forcing them. But you have to admit, having someone with expertise on the matter could go quite a long way.”

Aliana thought she heard a scoff from under Archemis’ helmet, and the warrior spoke with more irritation than any other emotion they’d displayed thus far. “The expertise is the reason I brought them here, not so you could assign them to my work.”

Emerson responded with a smile under his mustache and a humored, “Hmph. Now Archemis, don’t be like that.” He turned back to the three seated before him. “Of course, I leave it up to you, but what do you all say? It seems to me that both parties would benefit, don’t you agree?”

Aliana spared a glance to Misha and then Liessa before nodding and saying, “Of course. So what’s our plan?”