“Daniel? Daniel! You in there?”

“Try taking some mead from the back, that’s what usually-”

“Don’t you dare, either of you.”

“Ah, there he is.”

I was pulled from my flashback- rudely, I might add- by the uncalled for threat on my personal source of relaxation. Glaring as the other two stifled their laughter, I shook my head. “I was simply lost in memories. You know very well I will protect that mead with my life.”

Stephanie continued to chuckle while smiling over at me. “I’m sorry. But it’s nice to see that you really haven’t changed, quirks and all.”

Unable to keep glaring, I allowed myself a small laugh as well. “And yet those quirks are exactly what you keep complaining about. You’ve got your fair share of them as well.”

“What? Well I never!” She huffed and placed her hand on her chest dramatically, holding the pose for a few moments before bursting into laughter. “Really though, I’m glad we got to see each other again. We’re preparing to head back to the front lines, which is why we came here to resupply and boost citizen morale.”

“I see. In that case I’ll save the speech and just tell you to be careful. If you’re still out there in a couple weeks, that’s when we’re scheduled to make a supply run so we’ll meet again then. For now though, you’re more than welcome to restock here. I’ll even give you the friends and family discount: a whole nine percent!”

“Wait, nine? I thought it was twelve…” I had to do my best not to gulp as she leveled another glare at me. “What did you do?”

Smiling nervously, I did my best to come up with an excuse. “Well, you know, times are hard. The market shifts constantly, and sometimes that affects sale prices. I don’t want to bore you with the numbers, but rest assured that-”

“We have to repair the cart because a tribe of harpies attacked us. Daniel picked up an egg on the trail, and they took exception to that.” Evidently Friia forgot our many conversations about why we don’t tell Stephanie when I’m directly responsible for getting us in trouble. The main reason being the armored hands currently grasped around my collar shaking the life out of me, in addition to the angry tirade of an overly protective woman blessed with literal divine strength.

It took some time, but Friia eventually managed to calm Steph down enough to return me to the ground and allow me to reorient myself. She took care of the sales for the party while I focused on not hurling my mead onto the ground, so it took a moment for me to realize that Stephanie had approached. “Daniel. As much as I really don’t want to be asking, I have a request.”

I held up a finger to ask for an additional moment as I finished coughing over a bucket.

“Hold on a moment, please…” Gently thumping my chest as I stood back up, I turned to face her. “Now, could you repeat that? For a moment it sounded like you had a request for me, but I distinctly remember you saying you’d never do so, as it could potentially expose me to danger.”

She huffed and looked away for a moment. “Daniel, don’t be difficult. This is serious. I want to do this myself, but with the time limit we’re on I can’t. I’d ask someone else, but you’re the only one around my party trusts.”

I looked behind her at the rest of her group, where a mage and a cleric were both giving me a thumbs up. “I see... and what exactly is your request?”

“When you bring your supply load to the front lines, I need you to include a dragon scale, bloodroot, thorned mushrooms, and a faerie lotus.”

I stared blankly at her for a moment while I tried to collect my thoughts. Lowering my voice down to a whisper, my expression turned serious. “Stephanie, please be honest with me: why are you looking to make an Elixir of Miracles? What happened?”

She shook her head and leaned in closer. “I can’t tell you, not right now. You’ll see when you arrive. All I can tell you is that someone important is depending on it, and they’re only going to be able to hold on for so long. Others are focusing on extending their time, but we need this to finish treatment. Please Daniel, I cannot stress how important this is. You’ve got a knack for finding these rare ingredients.”

Out of habit, I fiddled with the ring on my right hand. “I won’t deny that. Those ingredients though may turn out to be problematic.”

“Are you saying you can’t? Daniel please, I-”

“That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’ll do it, especially since it’s you asking. I can tell how obviously important this is to you, just as I can tell it’s bigger than you’re letting me know. That’s fine, you can keep your secrets for now. When I get there though, I would like answers. ‘It’s hero business’ isn’t going to cover it this time. Faerie lotus is especially troublesome, as it’s home forest has been...charged of late. Not dangerous, per say, but still troublesome.”

“I know, Daniel, I know. Believe me, I don’t want to be asking. I can’t stand the idea of putting you in danger on my behalf, but this is truly important. You’ll be there in two weeks, right? That should be soon enough. You’ll get your answers then, I promise. Possibly a reward as well. But whatever you do, do not tell anyone else what you’re gathering and where you’re taking it. We have appearances to keep up.”

I sighed to myself as I thought of all the troubles this was probably going to bring. Stephanie was being oddly secretive, something she’s usually not good at. Honestly, she can’t even buy a snack without telling everyone in view. “Alright, I understand. I’ll get it done. But when I get there, I want those answers. I have to skirt past demon territory for some of these, and you know that’s going to be a hassle.”

I let out a small grunt as I was pulled into a rather forceful embrace. “I know. Please, PLEASE stay safe, Daniel. This is important, but not important enough to throw away your life over. If you’re in danger, run. You and Friia both.” As she let go and stepped away from me, I was practically crushed by the concern coming from her eyes.

“You have my word, Steph. Should anything happen, I will make sure Friia gets out of there.”

“Daniel.” It took everything I had not to shrink back and immediately apologize under the dark expression that crossed her face. “You. Will. Run. Understood?”

I honestly shivered as Friia looked on in surprise; neither of us had really seen her make that face before. “Completely. The both of us will run.”

The rapid shift of her face from terrifying to exuberant was concerning all on its own, almost as much as her trying to break my spine. “Thank you. We have to head out now, so you remember what you promised.” She let go and beamed brightly before gathering her party and heading towards the gate. “I’ll see you on the front lines.”

I was silent as I watched them leave, contemplating my next move. Originally, I planned on staying in the city until it was time for my delivery, but now…

“Friia, we need to make some preparations for this one. Stay here and man the stand, get some provisions from the nearby booths when you have time.”

Friia nodded, her posture quickly straightening as she adopted a serious demeanor. “Understood. What will you be doing?”

I smiled lightly and casually pointed behind me. “The tavern. We’re gonna need some help with this one, and if I’m lucky the decent mercenaries haven’t gotten wasted yet. Better yet, they may be drunk enough to offer a discount!” I laughed as I walked through the square, gazing fondly at an old weather beaten sign that read “The Merry Wanderer”.