The Beggar Alchemist

"What moon will we get tonight?"

Her tone was joyful, but weak. Eyes that once shone brightly were filled with despair, depleted of hope - yet she forced herself to sound content, unbothered as if hunger was not devouring her from the inside. But starvation was pushing her to her limits. Her last meal was rotten meat, and she could feel the cold sweats getting stronger.

"Yellow, if I'm not mistaken. Summer is not over, and the sky is clear." A young man answered across from her.

The narrow streets laid empty, as sickened cats roamed around trying to find a meal, or some warmth before the next day.

The woman coughed, and covered herself tightly with her poor, shredded grey shawl.

"I'm sorry. If I had some herbs I could-"

"My mistake is no fault of yours," she said bitterly. "I was careless and desperate for meat. The first carcass I could find sealed my fate. Maybe it was what I wished, deep down." Her brown eyes met the ground, and she touched her head, denuded of hair.

She sold it to merchants trying to trade out of the town. It was usually not the people she wanted to involve herself with, but Andrei's birthday was close and with it, the gift of a warm meal: a luxury both of them only dreamed of now. When she returned with her pouch of coins, she took a wrong turn, and after an unfortunate chain of events, fell to her demise to patrolling guards.

Her innocence robbed, they took away the purse she carried and with it her will to live; she used to feel rage, now only desperation remained.

Andrei stood up, wandering his tarnished green eyes on the darkening alley. A row of decrepit houses stood unsteadily, seeming to give way at the slightest motion.

"Don't bother, Andrei. A few more days, and I will be no more; one less mouth to feed" she sniggered.

Andrei sighed.

"You vex me Lina. A beggar I am, but an Alchemist I shall always be. I know the ways of medicine, and I refuse to let you die this way." he retorted. "Maybe Dr Julian will lend me some weeds."

"But... You have no money!"

The young man was already walking away, making his way through animal remains and faeces.

"Then I shall charm my way in!" he exclaimed.

-------

Andrei was not familiar with those dirty streets. He was a scholar once, and a smart one at that, which gave him way to prestigious academies and renowned Alchemists that paved the way to this day. He yearned for the tranquillity of those days, when the world was at peace, and life seemed meaningful.

Once he graduated from the crown's academy, he quickly found an alchemist willing to take him in and aid his research. The domus stood near the sea, and each morning air was filled with a sweet smell of fresh baked bread and rosemary; which grew close to his window. The professor Ikron, of whom he served, was an old man overflowing with knowledge. He was a skinny fellow, always wearing a long, deep green robe, and a small yet colorful embroidered hat. Time made him grumpy, but you could still find kindness in him.

A crow cawed high above his head, snatching him away from his reverie. The moon illuminated his path, filled with debris and corpses. His eyes met with a grand structure, far away beyond this lowly neighborhood. The imposing Palace, towering above Lolûne, the capital of the Miramond Empire, felt like a monster eyeing its prey. Andrei frowned and spat on the ground.

"I curse thee," he mumbled. "May the rapaciousness of your family drive you all to insanity."

He passed his hand into his copper brown hair, and stopped in front of a shop he knew all too well. The door was in a pitiful state; and the widows on each side of the shop were broken for the most part. Candlelit flames casted shadows on the remaining pieces of glass, forming grotesque silhouettes. The young man breathed in, and opened the door with haste.

The boutique was chaotic to say the least. Pieces of cloth were scattering the floor, books, bottles, and dried herbs messily arranged on shelves around the room. In the back stood a counter, with behind it, a man turned back rummaging through shelves.

"Julian...?" Andrei called out.

The man quickly turned around, taken aback. He wore a worned out reddish bandage covering his eyes. Though he was around his fifties, he was a corpulent man and could easily lift Andrei if he wanted to.

"My! I was not expecting you at this late hour my friend. Give me a moment, will you?"

Andrei nodded and leaned back against the wall, observing. Julian lost his eyes to the authorities, long ago. His wife was to be hanged in public for speaking and comploting against the Empire, as they began at that time a crusade against the non-believers. She was a scientist at heart that did not want to abide by unfair laws, interfering with her work. When she stood on the wooden platform with the rope gripping the neck, Julian threw himself at the guards, attempting to save his lover. Moved by his dedication, the 2nd Princess presiding the execution ordered him to only have his eyes gouged out as punishment. You shall see no other women than the one you lost, she told him.

Between the loss of his dearest love, and his sight gone, the man almost went insane.

"What can I do for you, my friend?" Julian stood straight, resting his hands on the counter.

"Lina... She ate from a dead cat, a day or so ago. She says having cold sweats, and she vomited once already."

The shopkeeper remained silent.

"That carcass... smelled different. Since the corpse was heated, it had a very strong garlic odor."

"Garlic is toxic to cats. It can't be possible." Julian paused. "Are you suggesting..."

"White arsenic. I have no doubt in my mind. They probably fed the cats and dogs knowing they are often targeted to get some meat"

Julian suddenly slammed the counter.

"Those bastards! After taking it all from us, they are planning to murder the entire district? Tell me, how much did Lina eat?"

"Not much. But I have no idea how much poison was in it to begin with... I am not sure. But would you be able to lend me some poppy? To make the pain a bit more bearable."

"Of course. Lina is a good girl, I hope she can recover. Or a miracle perhaps. I'm not sure what to believe in anymore."

Julian went to the back of the store, looking for poppy seeds. The only way to get any herbs into this side of the city was through the black market, and Andrei didn't want to imagine the kind of items you could find in there. But if that meant finding tools to practice Alchemy again...

"Here you go." Julian returned, holding a small bag. Andrei walked to him and grabbed the item when suddenly, a loud noise rang far away. Alerted, they both turned around, as a second detonation was heard, much closer.

"What is this?" questioned Julian.

Andrei flew out the door, trying to understand the commotion. Looking around, he could see people peeking out their window, confused. Another blast. The ground shook greatly, and he caught a glimpse of black smoke soaring in the sky a few blocks away. Something was definitely wrong.

"Julian, stay inside!" Andrei screamed. People were starting to run on all side of the street.

"The shop won't hold." he pleaded "It is too dangerous to stay in."

"Grab what you can, and don't follow the crowd." Andrei responded, more calmly. "I'm going to Lina, let us meet at the tunnel."

And with that, Andrei ran away. Poor folks were trying to run from the smoke, mothers were dragging their confused, crying children in the street to get away from whatever threat was incoming. Andrei sprinted as fast as he could, turning into corners he never took just to get away from the incoming mob of confused people.

Another explosion. The shock wave threw him to the ground. This was near. Way too near. Shaken, he slowly tried to stand up, his head ringing. What is going on?

Screams filled the air, panic arose. He could hear loud stomps making their way near him. Everything was mending together, and little made sense. Andrei shook his head and made his way to the narrow street where he left Lina. A cry of agony resonated, followed by the sound of bones crushing. Imperial Guards. He decided to peek in the corner of the street he just took before joining Lina, to confirm his suspicions.

Tall, heavily armored knight with capes of red stood colossal above the skinny body one of them just mashed. Their helmet had a crest which depicted the feathersof a peacock, now filled with blood. All only had one singular weapon : a massive war hammer, that seemed bigger than their own heads. Andrei turned away from the scene, realising suddenly that one thing was missing.

None of them had shields.

Andrei quickly sprinted away, thinking of a method to leave the city. His feet slapping the ground, jumping above corpses, watching the carnage unfold. This is a purge. Mothers laid against the wall, their face hammered beyond recognition, their child crying by their side. Some other man, in a desperate attempt to defend their loved ones, launching onto the Imperial Guards, before getting slammed onto the ground violently. Smoke slowly descended in the streets, making breathing harder.

Thankfully, Andrei arrived where Lina was sitting. She was still there, and he sighed in relief.

"Lina!"

She turned around, and upon seeing him, started slowly getting up. We can get out of this, he thought.

"We have to go !" she pleaded. "Chaos is invading the streets... Grab my hand."

Lina reached her hand out for him to pull. As he was about to grab her, a massive hammer smashed her head against the wall. Blood splattered, brain matter scattered. Andrei's face was covered in blood and he stood, frozen. The hammer unlodged from the wall, and the knight wielding it shook it slightly to remove the excess of blood.

"A fine swing my Lord." a knight appeared behind him.

"Thank you," he answered. "I did not expect so many of them remaining. No matter. It has been quite a while since I trained in the field. You."

Andrei jolted. Fear crossed his eyes.

"Yes you" the knight continued. "Are you stupid? You're supposed to run for me, not stand here like an imbecile! Come on, with haste! "

Andrei realised that if he did not run now, he was dead. And so, he ran.

"Good dog." he heard the knight calling one last time, laughing.

His mind was blank, thinking was impossible. Nothing made sense, yet he could understand. Everything was loud, yet he heard nothing. As his thoughts tried to gather, his steps naturally guided him to Julian's shop.

Julian was still out there. The tunnel.

Maybe he could make it in time.

Maybe.