Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic

In the Golden Pouch Auction House, a butler led Gerald to the private office of the director.

They sat opposite each other. Gerald put on a disguise once more. Before coming here he dumped all the loot he collected in the last few days in a nearby general store. It brought him a few extra gold coins.

He then quickly visited a shop and got himself the cheapest second-hand cloak he could find. No point in wasting money on one-use items.

He also bought a new box for his potions.

"Before we start, I would like to say a few words," he stated.

"Oh?"

Gerald made himself comfortable on the couch and then said, "I don't appreciate having some lowly rats follow me… I only just arrived in the capital, and I didn't want to start killing already… I will let it slide this once, but if it happens again, you can forget about any further cooperation between us."

"I don't know what you are tal-"

Gerald slammed his hand on the table, "Don't push your luck, Miss Emily! My patience has its limits! Also, why don't you call your friend from yesterday to join us? Eavesdropping can be misunderstood as a sign of hostility." He casually pointed at an empty wall.

The casual passive-aggressive move made Emily Rosecloud's forehead sweat bullets.

'How does he know?!' she screamed in her mind.

After a short while, a light knock was heard on the door and an elegant young man came in.

He was tall and had a good posture, with fancy clothes and jewelry. He extended his hand towards Gerald and introduced himself, "Master G, we haven't met before. My name is Arthur Rosecloud, the owner of this branch of Golden Pouch here in Aurlalba."

Gerald ignored his hand and gestured, "Sit down boy, I don't have time for pleasantries."

Arthur's eye twitched and he was barely able to keep the fake smile on his face. Still, he sat down as ordered.

"I will not beat around the bush. I only have two questions for you. What do you think about my potion, and do you have my stuff?" Gerald kept the appearance of an arrogant alchemist. He was purposely trying to sound as arrogant as possible and get inside their head to cover for any mistakes he might do.

"Indeed, we have performed extensive research with the little we had. I have to say, the results were more than impressive." Arthur was the one to speak, while Emily quietly drank her tea, happy she didn't have to talk with this madman.

"Based on our tests, the Swiftness Potion that Master G gifted us yesterday, we were able to establish quite a few baselines," Arthur addressed Gerald in the third person as a sign of respect.

"Go on."

"Yes." Arthur took out a piece of parchment and read what was recorded on it, "Duration of the potion is just below thirty minutes and it allowed our soldiers who were testing it to exert the maximum amount of strength for the entire duration. The energy levels stayed at peak and did not dip even for a single second." He looked at Gerald, with a look that was asking for approval.

'What the fuck?! How on earth did you get thirty minutes out of it? I barely get ten! Are they messing with me?' On the outside, he didn't show any reaction and just slightly nodded and said, "Continue."

Arthur took a big breath and read, "Based on our observations there were no noticeable side effects during the potion effect, although after the effect has passed, the test subject experienced severe muscle damage and joint pain. We aren't sure if it is because of the potion or from stress." He once again looked at Gerald, expecting an answer.

"Pah, weaklings. Of course, it's the effect of the exercise. What else did you expect to feel after half an hour of pushing your body to the limits! This is a life-saving and war-winning divine medicine! Did you think you would get such power without paying a price?" Gerald scoffed at him.

"But don't worry, the effects are not permanent. After a week of rest and good food, he will be like new. Of course, you can also waste a few Healing Potions if you are impatient."

After the assurance from Gerald, Arthur was finally able to relax. He opened his pouch and out came many elegant wooden boxes. "We gathered what Master G wanted, but with less than a day's worth of time, we only managed to get our hands on this much."

He pushed the boxes in front of Gerald and opened them for the later to examine.

Gerald's eyes enlarged and he wanted to laugh out loud, but he somehow managed to suppress his excitement. The only sound that came out of him made it seem like he was not happy at all.

"Aaah, what did I expect…" he sighed loudly. "I guess this barely qualifies as something. Too bad I am in a hurry, otherwise I could wait a few days longer."

He placed his box on the table and said, "I am a man of my word. Here are your twenty Swiftness Potions. Do with them what you will…"

He picked up the small wooden boxes with herbs and stood up to leave.

"Master G, please wait! Are you going to visit us again in the future?" Miss Emilly quickly asked.

"Heh, maybe…" Gerald chuckled with his fake raspy voice. "Don't expect too much, Miss Emily. After all, I didn't feel your sincerity at all… Farewell!"

Soon, every trail of this mysterious old man disappeared. The only things left behind were the attire he wore and a few fancy boxes, spread across the city.

Back in the Auction House, Arthur walked to the wall and rubbed it with his hand. His brows furrowed as he spoke to himself, "How did he know? And he said 'friend from yesterday', did he know I was here back then already?"

"I have no idea. Honestly, that guy gives me the creeps. Even though I can't see his eyes I feel like he can see through me. It's so unnerving," Emily shook hard just at the thought of Gerald's voice.

Arthur smiled once again when he took a look at the potions, "His voice is obviously fake, but it matters not! At least we have these things now. I wonder if our alchemists can reverse-engineer them?"

Emily's eyes shone with greed and her breathing sped up, "Do you think they can do it?"

"We won't know unless we try…"