[SP-F01] Errands, I. 《TFFLAF》

[Watcher 0]

[   A L I C E   ]

Hide contents Watcher | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 2 | LD: 3 equipped [marseilles.] 2HSS T1E2  |  ACCURACY II A black greatsword. Simple. Lighter than the typical model. Look no further; there is n̵o̷t̴h̶i̷n̴g̷ else to see here. Red Onamori TRINKET T1E3 | LOOT DIE III A small charm made with red fabric and tied up in gold string. -- battle-ready inventory (3) Starter Healing Potions Heals 50 HP. skills Spoiler 01. R1 Two-Handed Straight Sword data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==   data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

another early morning.

the last spark crackles and dies in the fireplace, wisps of smoke rising from ashes and burnt wood. it's cold and quiet as it always is just before the break of dawn -- the very same hour she loves to spend curled up at her usual table in the deserted tavern with a borrowed novel. she only leaves when the tenants in the rooms above begin to stir.

alice passes her usual payment for morning coffee and the next week's lodging to the npc at the counter. from there, it's the usual road she takes on emptier days: a turn around the small plaza west of her inn and the stopped fountain at its center, marble turned dirt white in neglect and dulled coins left at the bottom of the well which the occasional beggar would scoop up at the dead of night; then down a maze of cramped narrow streets, with buildings packed so closely together that she almost couldn't tell them apart; and finally, to the crossing where the road opened up to the spacious once-most-frequented district of the town of beginnings.

...what did they call this place again? something other than the street name that related to low-levels.

she doesn't stop to wonder. she drifts on by like a feather carried aimlessly by the wind until a small hut placed conspicuously close to the main road catches her eye. this time, she makes it all the way up the steps.

the door opens on the first knock. she's greeted with a warm smile, but it is not from the one she expected.

"hello, stranger. what brings you to my master's house?"

[Watcher 0]

the first thing alice takes note of is the yellow cursor.

"business. with the district alchemist." she rushes to respond. the knot that had formed in her throat upon her first sight of the entity had loosened -- but only a little. "is he in?"

"he is, as he always is. but as i'm the one who had to answer the door this time, i'd say you caught us at a time when he's too buried in his concoctions to take notice of anything else." slinking past the crack she opened in the doorway, the woman closes the door behind her with care and shuts one violet eye, a raised finger held to her lips. "old sages and their fixations," she murmurs, her smile secretive, "i should not like to bother him at the moment. unless your concern is life-threatening or urgent in any other way i have failed to mention, please direct it to this apprentice."

so the quest is unavailable...?

bummer.

"oh, then, um--" nothing left to do here, right? staring slightly wide-eyed from the lingering surprise, alice offers zackariah's student a polite nod. "no need. i'll just come back when he's not..." her words fail her. she ends her sentence with a shrug. "have a good day."

she leaves without sparing the apprentice a second glance.