[Original] The Alchemist of Rozarre [Novel-Length] [Complete!]

Chapter 8

Chapter 8Cerise was roused by Roselle. She woke up, bleary-eyed and feeling fatigue in her muscles, though she suddenly became alert when she sensed the present of another in the dungeons. The person, whoever they were, stopped outside their cell and regarded them thoughtfully.

"You're the Princess of Rozarre?" the woman said, a tall woman with blonde hair with two strands of hair dangling to her breasts, and her hair put up into a ponytail.

"Y-Yes?" Roselle said.

"I heard whispers among the kitchen wenches that the PRincess of Rozarre was held here. Lucky me, I struck gold today. If I can bust you out, then you can help me infiltrate the treasure vaults and rob them of all their money."

"A heist adventure," Roselle said while perking up. "Like in the stories that I read! That sounds fantastic! I would much rather be out there doing something thrilling instead of sitting all cooped up in a prison cell."

"But isn't stealing wrong?" Cerise said while Roselle laughed.

"Come on, it's a heist adventure. Besides, we've got a free opportunity to get out of here."

"I'm not sure if I trust this woman," Cerise whispered to Roselle. "Think about it. There's got to be some kind of catch."

"I know it, but what other choice do we have?" Roselle whispered back before she said. "We will help accompany you, Miss?"

"Viola," the woman said while folding her arms underneath her sizeable chest. "I'm a combat medic nurse that travels across the world on battlefields and other hectic places to heal the wounded. Why is a combat nurse trying to steal money, you ask? That's a very good question, but not something that I will reveal until all three of us are safely outside the Soreno kingdom.

"All right, we trust you for now," Roselle said. "Just get us out of here! Please."

"All right," Viola said. "I get the larger portion of the treasure. You two can split the rest among yourselves. Meanwhile, I know the layout of the castle like my own hand. I've been scouting out throughout the Kingdoms while acting as a Medic. The Prince himself is very sickly, you know. I had to take care of him. Princess Nautilus was tending to him."

"Oh..." Roselle said while looking shame-faced. "I do hope he is all right."

"Personally, his sister is crazy, if you ask me," Viola said while clucking her tongue in disapproval. "Has this crazy obsession with her brother. Did you know that the Princess is keeping her brother with placebos? She's convincing him that he needs medicine to stay well. All so that he could stay dependent on her and no one else."

"That sounds...rather messed up," Cerise admitted. "So? Do they have any lore on the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Plenty, as I can see," Viola said with a cluck of her tongue. "But time is a wasting. Time is money. We can't stop and chit chat all night long."

"I understand," Roselle said "Leave it to us to infiltrate the treasure vaults. We've had good practice before, fighting a dragon in a treasure vault."

"You infiltrated a treasure vault before?" Viola said, seeming impressed.

"Well, my mother always keeps traps and monsters hidden within the castle of the Grand Duelist's training," Roselle admitted, and Cerise confirmed it with a nod.

"I think that you two are the right people that I'm seeking," Viola said with a smile before she unlocked the cell door with a pick. "Well, come on out, you two. There might still be time yet to escape this place far richer than we would've been before!"

"I'm in!" Roselle said, and Cerise reluctantly followed along. She had a bad feeling about this, though she didn't voice her trepidation out loud. She didn't want to be the wet blanket of their company, and maybe it would work out in the end. She just needed to be loose and go with the flow, or so they say.