The Alchemist and The Dragon

Chapter 4

We get up bright an early and head out to town to set our plan into motion.

Alaster went around asking for information, and trying to find a way to speak to the witch. While I went and got the things I needed to make some potions that'll come in handy.

After gathering what more ingredients I need and different tools and vials I head back to the Inn and I get to work on the potions I need to make.

"Blue Dartwing, a butterfly wing and... hmm, what was the other ingredient?" I murmur to myself.

"Creeper cluster! That's it!" I remember and grab said ingredient from the mirror and sit back down at my place in the corner.

I'm so deep in concentration that I don't even notice Alaster come in and sneak up behind me.

"You seem to be hard at work." Alaster breathed in my ear, making me jump and almost spill the potion.

"Alaster! Careful, you scared me!" I scold as he giggles childishly.

"Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't resist." He justifies, holding his hands up in surrender.

Alaster sits on the end of his bed and looks over to me.

"So, once you finish there up there, I got some information on our witch. Her name's Nadia, she's from further East near the coast. She's lived here since she was 19, now she's 23. Apparently when she came here she was welcomed with open arms. And now they're holding her in a cell under the town hall." He drifts of a little at the end.

"But I couldn't find out why they suddenly hate witches." He frowns as he looks at his hands that rest on his lap.

"Hmm... Maybe when we save Nadia we can ask her. Speaking of which-" I pack the last of the potions into my satchel and look up.

"Let's go. I assume you know how to get to the cell undetected?" I look at him, he nods.

"There's an old well above the cell that was never removed, if we can get down there without being seen we'll get be able to get on and out." He explains.

"Alright, let's go." I say as we head out, with everything we brought with us. We won't be coming back to this room once we get Nadia. In and out, simple as that. I hope.

We sneak through the crowds, avoiding being too suspicious. Eventually we get to an old well at the back of an old building. The well was old, and covered in moss, a few stones from the edges were missing, and the little wooden roof from the top had mostly eroded away.

Alaster ties the rope to a stable tree close to the well and I pour an invisibility potion on it to make sure no one sees it.

After I'm done, Alaster steadily climbs down the rope, disappearing into the well. After 3 eerily long minutes of waiting while holding the rope, there's a tug, signalling the coast is clear. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, as I climb down the rope myself, casting one last glance at the town before I descend into the murky darkness.

When I get close to the bottom of the well I notice the rope is about two meters too short of the ground. Alaster grabs my waist and helps me down with ease. When I look around the cell, there first thing I see is a pair of frightened, cerulean blue eyes staring at us from the corner of the cell. I look at Alaster and back at the seemingly glowing eyes.

"Are you the witch Nadia?" I ask gently, creepy forward ever so slightly.

"We've come to get you out of here. I'm Ara, I'm an alchemist. This is Alaster." I avoid telling her about Alaster. We still don't really know anything about her yet.