Antidote Needed

Dakota walked into the guild building, glancing around at the people there. Sighting no one she knew close enough (though in truth she didn’t know anyone except for the guild master), she decided to take a job. She sauntered over to the request board, eyeing the jobs with a slight disinterest. None of them seemed all that exciting, but she reasoned that she wasn’t all that experienced anyhow. She glanced over a few multi-mage jobs easily, as she didn’t have a team and stopped on one labeled “Antidote Needed”. She quickly read over all the information on the paper, and practically ripped it from the board. This is perfect! she thought to herself, a small smile pulling at her lips. She took it over the bar to get it approved and then skipped -seriously skipped- from the guild.

She began making her way towards the address written on the request page, leisurely strolling through the streets. By now the sun had reached about halfway through the sky, and the temperature was ever rising. Glad I wore lighter clothes today, she thought, already beginning to feel uncomfortably warm in her tank top and shorts.

She reached the house, and knocked on the door three times and waited. She heard a faint shuffling behind the door, and a moment later, a mousy woman stood in the doorway, eyeing the red head critically. “Do you need something?” She questioned warily, eyes skirting up and down the teenager on her porch. “Yes, I am here on a job request that you’ve made.” She said, holding out the flier. The woman quickly glanced at the paper, then back at Dakota. “How do I know this isn’t some scam?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. Dakota smiled, and quickly stuck out her tongue, showing her the navy blue guild marking on her tongue. The woman looked like she was going to scold her at first, then realized what she was being shown, and nodded her head in understanding. “Well then, come on in,” She said motioning her in, “I’m Mrs. Rouster.” She added on as an afterthought. Dakota quickly responded with her own name, and was led to the living room, where she was seated in an arm chair. The woman disappeared around a corner, returning moments later with tea. “Now, as you’ve read the flier, you know my daughter is sick and needs a special antidote.” She said as she took a chair opposite her. Dakota nodded and took a sip of the tea she had chilled with a bit of her magic. The woman looked a little surprised as she began swallowing down mouthfuls of the ‘hot’ drink, and the girl waved it off. “I cooled it down with my ice magic.” She explained, smiling. That’s right. I’m a mage, she thought, straitening her back in pride. The woman nodded, in understanding, still looking slightly bewildered. “Well, in any case, I’d like it if you left immediately. I will pay your fare, and if the mission is successful, your reward money.” The woman said, already standing up and motioning for Dakota to do the same. Not wanting to displease her first client, she quickly sprung into action, slightly vibrating in excitement. The woman pulled some jewels out of a bag and handed them to Dakota, who slipped them into her pocket. She was promptly ushered out of the door, with a small ‘goodbye’ and ‘good luck’.

She began making her way towards the train station. After paying for a ticket, and taking a seat, the train began its departure to Hargeon. After the train ride, she boarded a small boat, which took her to the island. She thanked the boater, who stated he’d remain on shore until she returned.

She took off towards the forested area of the island, leaving sandy beaches for leaf littered ground. She walked around for about 15 minutes before spotting a snake lying on a rock. That was pretty easy, she thought, carefully stepping forward and keeping her steps silent. “Ice-Make: Gloves” She whispered softly, and a thick layer of ice covered her hands and forearm. She silently willed the snake not to move, and luckily it remained still until she was within reach. Without wanting to miss her chance, she quickly reached forward, grabbing the brightly colored reptile. It lashed around in an instant though her gloves protected her from the snake’s bite. She reached her other hand to grab its mouth and pried it off of her arm. She pulled out a small flask and placed one of its fangs inside. A few drops of venom dripped down, and then she sealed it off with a cork, placing it in her bag again. She placed the snake back on the rock, and it slithered away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The dangerous part of her job was done.

She began her trek through the woods again, and a while after came face to face with a cliff. She figured the flower would be somewhere difficult to reach since that’s how it typically worked in her childhood stories, and began looking for places to climb up. She found a few rocks that jutted out in succession and began her making her way up the rock face. It was fairly easy to climb, and she reached the top easily. After making sure she was safe, she searched the area for the flower. The entire area looked barren, and she thought that coming up here wasn’t such a good idea. She was about to go back down, but a vibrant red caught her attention. She whipped her head around and set her sights on the flower. She tried to recall what part of the flower she needed, though couldn’t recall anything in particular. She figured if she didn’t get all of it, she’d be missing the part that the woman needed, so decided she’d get the entire thing, roots to petals. She crouched down next to the flower and began pushing at the dirt around the flower’s stem. Of course, I can’t dig it up with my hands. Why would this be easy? she thought, slightly irritated.

“Ice-Make sword!” She called out, and a thin katana materialized in her hands. She stood up and slammed the point into the dirt. She repeated this process several times in a circle around the flower. After making a complete circle, she shoved her sword in again and shimmied the chunk of earth out of the ground. She wiped her forehead, pushing her sweat-slicked bangs out her face. “Well, that was hard enough.” She sighed, picking up the unearthed plant. She slung her bag around her front and placed it inside, making sure to keep the glass safe. She put it back on and then began her descending the cliff face. Once she reached the bottom, she began sprinting through the forest and reached the shore in a matter of 20 minutes.

The boater seemed a bit surprised to see her back so quickly but didn’t voice it, so she didn’t bother explaining. He took off into the ocean, and she leaned over the boat’s edge, peering at the dark surface lazily. She dipped a hand in the water and froze it, and took the small sliver of ice and popped it into her mouth. It was incredibly salty, but she was thankful that it had cooled her down a bit.

They reached the opposite shore by the time the sun was beginning to sink, and she set a quick pace back to the train station. After the returning train ride, the sun was barely in the sky, and all the street lights had turned on. It was a slightly more difficult trip to the woman’s house in the dark though she made it easily enough. She knocked on the door, and the woman looked hopeful at the sight of her. She flashed a bright smile and the woman cheered aloud, thanking Dakota profusely. She gave the woman the flower and flask, and the woman returned her with the reward money. Dakota smiled happily at the jewels, and quickly pocketed them.