Alex stepped out into the street with a very specific goal in mind.

  A certain elf’s alchemy store.

  Although the encounter had left him somewhat shaken, now that he had been assured that the law was on his side, he felt much more confident confronting the scary woman. Of course, the law didn’t remove her ability to fuck with his mind, but his healing had shown that it could counteract those effects, although with a slight delay.

  About halfway there, he suddenly stopped.

  “God fucking…” He swore to himself.

  He’d asked about mind and soul magic. He’d asked about legality. He’d even found out that the guild employed mind mages. And yet he’d forgotten to actually ask how to invite one over and how much it would cost—because he did not think for a second that such a service would be cheap.

  ‘Should I go back and ask?’ He wondered. ‘But I just left. It’s gonna be so embarrassing.’

  Although he thought that, he had already turned back towards the guild.

  ===

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Alex stepped out of the guild hall again.

  After a quick jog back and a question to an exasperated Polly, Alex learned that calling in a mind mage would cost somewhere in the ballpark of a gold. Alex didn’t let the fact that he’d earned that in one day fool him; that was the equivalent of 10 000 dollars!

  It would be cheaper to learn the magic himself.

  ‘Or,’ Alex turned an evil grin to his target. ‘I could simply force a mind mage I know is already here to help me.’

  Before long, he arrived at Darcy’s Demonic Discounts, the white and green sign fluttering ominously in the breeze.

  The narrow building was sandwiched between a restaurant and a produce store not unlike Grenil’s. Alex briefly wondered what kind of idiot opened a restaurant next to a place that perpetually smelled of alchemy ingredients, then dismissed the thought.

  Taking a few quick breaths, he pushed the door open.

  Ding ding ding!

  The bell chimed as he entered the store.

  Just like last time, shelves stretched into the narrow space, though Alex could have sworn that everything was in a different spot. That pot of iridescent powder was on that shelf, the dried whatchamacallits were on that one, and the jar of eyeballs was nowhere to be seen.

  “Oh, two customers in a day! How wonderful!” Darcy’s voice came from the counter around the corner; she didn’t know it was Alex again.

  “Nope, sorry, just me.” He said as he turned the corner and laid eyes on the pretty elf.

  When she saw him, Darcy’s eyebrows jumped in surprise. “Oh, it’s you again.” Her lips curved into a knowing smirk. “Back so soon?”

  “What can I say, I like this place.” Alex shrugged, then jiggled his coin pouch. “Also, I just got paid, so I might actually be able to afford something now.”

  The smile on the elf’s face widened. “That’s wonderful! Ask me if you need anything, or feel free to just browse.”

  Alex nodded and flashed her a quick smile. “I don’t really know much about herbs and stuff, but I think it’s kinda cool. Is it ok if I look around first and then come talk to you?”

  “Of course! You know just where to find me.” Darcy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and winked.

  Alex hurried into the shelves before she noticed his face, a tittering laugh following him around the corner.

  Out of sight, Alex took a few deep breaths before turning his attention to his surroundings. He wandered the aisles slowly, letting the shelves pull his attention from one strange thing to the next.

  There were rows of carefully stoppered vials filled with liquids that shimmered or smoked or pulsed faintly in time with some internal order. Bundles of dried plants hung from hooks along the beams, leaves curled and darkened, some radiating warmth and some cold. There was a whole crate of what looked like polished stones in the back, until he got closer and realised they were teeth. Big ones.

  He picked up a jar at random, turned it to read the label, ‘Eye of newt’. Alex leaned back in surprise. ‘Do people genuinely use eye of newt to make potions here?’ Gor some reason, he found that funny.

  The tension he’d carried in with him ebbed without him quite noticing. His shoulders loosened. His breathing slowed. The shop felt… safe. Like he could relax here, surrounded by neat shelves and a smiling shopkeeper.

  Darcy drifted in and out of his awareness as she worked behind the counter, humming softly. Every so often she called out a comment about some ingredient or another, explaining its use or complaining about how hard it was to source. Alex responded automatically, amused, engaged, asking questions.

  Eventually, he forced himself to turn back toward the counter.

  Darcy straightened, setting aside whatever she’d been grinding, and smiled at him. Alex took a moment to collect his thoughts, leaning his forearms against the wood and focusing on the cool, solid feel of it beneath his skin.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Last time I was here,” he said, keeping his tone casual, “you mentioned a soul restoration tonic. I wanted to ask you about that.”

  “What about it?” She tilted her head curiously. “I know you said you’d gotten paid, but I didn’t think new adventurers could make a lot of money in short order.”

  “I’m stronger than most,” he boasted, then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “And I got lucky.”

  “Good for you.” She nodded approvingly. “But I still doubt you have enough to afford the tonic.”

  “How much could a single potion possibly cost?” He asked, then immediately regretted it. He’d read plenty of books where a single consumable was worth more than entire planets, much less some gold.

  “Ten gold.” Darcy quickly confirmed his fears.

  “Te- How much?!” Alex stared at her in disbelief anyway.

  It was one thing to know that things could cost a ridiculous amount, it was a whole other to encounter a drink that cost a hundred thousand dollars.

  “Ten,” Darcy repeated gently. “Anything that actually touches the soul tends to be… expensive. The ingredients are rare, and the process isn’t forgiving.”

  Alex leaned back, running a hand through his hair. Ten gold might as well have been ten thousand for all the difference it made to him. Even with the money he’d just earned, all the money he’d ever had, he still couldn’t put together even half that amount.

  “Right,” he said after a moment. “Of course it is.”

  She watched him with something like sympathy. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not what most people want to hear.”

  “It’s fine,” Alex said, and to his surprise, it felt true. Disappointing, sure, but not devastating. Maybe t was the knowledge that he could earn that much eventually. “I figured it wouldn’t be cheap. I just… wanted to know.”

  Darcy nodded. “If you ever do come into that kind of money, though, just let me know. I’ll make it for you.”

  He smiled faintly at that. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  They exchanged a few more polite words, nothing of substance, and then Alex pushed himself away from the counter.

  “Thanks for answering my questions,” he said. “I’ll… probably be back.”

  “I’ll be here,” Darcy replied warmly.

  Alex stepped outside, the bell chiming cheerfully behind him. It took all of thirty seconds of walking for him to stop.

  “God fucking damnit!” He swore suddenly, scaring the surrounding pedestrians into avoiding him.

  Alex pressed his palms against his temples and stood there, breathing hard, as the world seemed to snap back into focus. He replayed the last several minutes in his head. Even though logically, he knew that mind magic affected—duh—the mind, it was one thing to know, and a whole other to experience it.

  He’d gone in there with the intent to intimidate and blackmail the mage, and instead spent half an hour browsing the store for shit he didn’t need. He’d completely forgotten not only his original purpose for going in, but even his negative opinion of the elf.

  ‘That fucking bitch.’ He swore again.

  Forcing himself to cam down, Alex considered the dilemma.

  Although it seemed like he would be rendered helpless every time he entered the store, there was actually a brief window when he first entered during which the magic in the air didn’t have time to affect him. Looking over his memories, it seemed his thoughts weren’t too severely impacted within the first twenty to thirty seconds inside.

  ‘Although that would be more than enough time to handle a regular person, it’s better to assume she can also handle herself in a head on fight.’ He frowned. ‘In that case…’

  Alex suddenly remembered how he had messed with the truth enchantments in the adventurer’s guild. ‘That might work.’

  He turned around and marched back toward the shop. When he reached the door, he paused and filled his head with as much mana as he could, the act sharpening his senses to an even more exaggerated degree; enough that he could hear Darcy humming a tune inside the shop all the way from here.

  ‘Well, here goes nothing.’

  He shoved the door open, sending the bell ringing wildly.

  “Stop fucking with my brain right now!” he shouted, sprinting down the aisle and rounding the corner. “Or this is going to end very badly for you.”

  Darcy jerked upright behind the counter, genuine shock flashing across her face. For a fraction of a second she just stared at him, clearly not having expected him to come back free of her influence.

  “What are you talking about?” she demanded, but Alex saw the glow that was spreading from her fingers, turning into increasingly complex geometric shapes.

  He lunged, crossing the distance in a heartbeat, muscles coiling as he reached for her casting hand, every ounce of strength and speed aimed at stopping the spell before it finished forming.

  He managed to stop himself at the last second, veering off course and slamming headfirst into a wall.

  “Are you ok?” He asked quickly in concern, turning around to check on Darcy.

  “Barely.” The beautiful elf patted herself on the chest, then shot him a fierce glare. “What the hell was that about? Why did you suddenly jump at me? Almost scared me to death.”

  “I’m so sorry.” He apologised, breaking out into cold sweat. “I genuinely don’t know what came over me. Please forgive me.”

  The shopkeeper tucked away a stray strand of hair and huffed in annoyance. “Well, I might consider it, if you do something for me.”

  ‘She doesn’t hate me!’ Relief flooded through Alex.

  “Of course! Anything.” He grinned, finally calming down.

  “Come with me for a sec.” The elf beckoned with a finger and sashayed out from behind the counter, walking deeper into the store. Alex gulped and tore his gaze away from her, nervously following behind.

  She led him past the shelves of dried plants and animal parts, and into the back of the store. There, she opened a door and revealed a staircase, at the top of which was another door. Once through, They finally arrived at their destination, which looked like… an apartment?

  Alex slowed as he stepped fully inside, the door closing behind them with a soft click.

  The space was small but tidy, clearly lived-in. A narrow sitting area opened up just beyond the stairs, furnished with a low table, a pair of cushioned chairs, and shelves lined with books and carefully labelled jars that looked far more valuable than the merchandise downstairs. A faint herbal scent lingered in the air, lighter and cleaner than the shop below, mixed with something warm that reminded him of tea on a sunny afternoon.

  “So,” Darcy said casually, turning to face him. “This is where I live. Above the shop. Easier to keep an eye on things that way.”

  Alex nodded, suddenly very aware of where he was. He hadn’t expected this. Whatever he’d imagined when she’d asked him to come with her, being invited into her apartment hadn’t been it. His heart beat a little faster, nerves buzzing in a way that was equal parts apprehension and excitement.

  “Oh,” he said. “Right. That makes sense.”

  She watched him for a moment, lips twitching, then gestured deeper into the apartment. “Come on. This won’t take long.”

  He followed, trying not to stare as she moved ahead of him. He was certain that she noticed anyway, because there was no way the swaying of her hips was natural. Not that he minded, of course.

  Darcy stopped in front of a door near the back.

  Alex frowned faintly. “Is that… a bathroom?”

  “Yeah,” she replied, tone unreadable. She opened the door and stepped inside.

  The room beyond was… different. Still obviously a bathroom, but different enough that he had to make sure. Large, dark tiles covered every surface, faintly etched with geometric designs that glimmered softly under the light. There was a basin set into the wall rather than freestanding, its surface smooth and seamless. Alex couldn’t see any pipes, only a glimmering stone inlaid into a dial in the wall. A mirror hung above it, slightly oval, the glass perfectly clean.

  Alex stepped in after her, nerves dancing.

  Darcy turned and shut the door behind them.

  The sound of the latch sliding into place was quiet, but final.

  Alex swallowed, trying to sound nonchalant. “So, uh, what did you need help with?”

  She regarded him for a long moment, head tilted, expression oddly calm.

  “I want you to die,” Darcy said.