The Flying Emporium

While Severin didn’t know the exact reason for the Society’s appearance, based on the angry outcry and cursing just now, he figured the theory of Simon trying to repent for his behavior had probably been a bit too far-fetched, after all.

After that, the attitude of his two guests drastically changed. Especially that of Ingar. While his superior had tried his best to reign him in, Severin still wasn’t so oblivious to his surroundings that he didn’t notice the slight tone of hostility in Ingar’s previous words and looks.

Even the more reserved Krey seemed to loosen up. Maybe because until now, he too harbored some suspicions about the [Shopkeeper]. Maybe because he felt his work here was done, lessening some of the pressure he felt when representing The Adventurer’s Society. Or simply because he was that amazed by the item he had just consumed.

Only now did he start to pay attention to the other items. Especially to a variety of strange little cubes which were stacked on top of each other, occupying a large portion of the relatively small shop’s shelf space.

In that regard, Ingar was a step ahead of his boss as he had already looked through all the items the not yet fully replenished shop had to offer.

“Those seem to be potions, boss.”

“Oh?” Krey took a closer look at them and studied the tooltips. Having learned his lesson on previous occasions, Severin quickly nudged Emily into action.

Reluctantly, the girl made her way around the counter and, on the way, grabbed one of the cubes.

“Dear customer! I see you have found one of our bestsellers.

Let me ask you. Aren’t you tired of having to fumble around at the most critical of times any adven… Enforcer ever has to face? Aren’t you tired of having to fight on a battlefield littered with broken and hastily discarded bottles? Or have you ever, in the midst of battle, spilled the contents of your precious potion all over your gear? If your answer to any of these questions is ‘Yes’, then these potions might just be the right thing for you.

“I promise you, with our range of exclusive jelly potions, all these problems and inconveniences are just things of the past!

‘Jelly potions?’ you might ask – well, as you can see,” Emily’s head turned red as she demonstratively squeezed the red cube between thumb and index finger causing it to slightly jiggle, “our patent-pending crafting procedure allows for a never-seen-before jelly-like consistency for easy access and digestibility. Never before has consuming a potion been this easy!

Just summon it out of your inventory and pop it right into your mouth.” She demonstrated just that and put the cube into her mouth. The next moment, the cube was gone; Dissolved into nothingness.

“Yes; it is that easy! Our more practiced customers have even gone so far as to summon these little lifesavers right into their mouths. Can you believe that?! With a bit of training, there is no more need to sheath your weapon to free up your hand, or risk poking out your eye with your offhand. And best of all? Your enemies won’t even notice! It revolutionizes the way we fight!”

Emily hadn’t given Krey or Ingar any opportunity to get a word in. Not that they had any words left. The both of them stared at her in disbelieve, their mouths wide open. The girl was red as a tomato as she slowly turned back towards Severin, who gave her a big encouraging thumbs-up. The [Shopkeeper] had a big grin on his face and nodded for her to continue with the script. Reluctantly, she complied and turned back around.

“But there is more!”

“More?” The small pause finally allowed Ingar to find back his voice.

“That’s right! We have more than just health potions. Tell me. Don’t you hate it if you take a mana potion and then have to wait out the potion cooldown before you can actually go back into the fray and use your mana? Just so you don’t take any unnecessary risks. Isn’t that counterintuitive? Well, fret not! Our handcrafted assortment of potions doesn’t share any cooldowns with any other potions out there, allowing you to immediately get back into action and support your mates when they most need it! And if that wasn’t enough…”

“What?! What do you mean no shared cooldowns?!” Krey couldn’t keep calm any longer. If he hadn’t already witnessed the elixir's unique effects firsthand, this was the moment he would’ve lost his professional bearing and straight up put the duo under arrest.

“Girl! Don’t joke about something like this! You may not know but…”

Ahem

The sound of Severin clearing his throat snapped the two men out of it and made them aware of the volume of their voices. Though it was far from enough to dispel their doubts, Severin’s solemn expression forced them to at least try out the advertised products before drawing any final conclusions. But the show wasn’t over yet.

Flustered by the men’s sudden reaction, Emily had lost her train of thought.

“You may not… ahem…?”

“Resources.” Severin reminded her in a small voice.

“Ah, right, resources.

But even if you aren’t actually using mana – you are in for a treat! No matter what kind of resource you depend on to activate your skills. Don’t worry, we got you covered. Our all-in-one Resource Potions don’t just replenish mana!

Focus? No problem. Holy Power? Don’t mention it. Energy? For sure. Dread Essence? Even the demons of Austigar won’t be able to compete with this kind of purity! Whatever keeps you going, we got just the thing for you. One potion fits them all.”

“But what about the price?” came the objection from behind the counter. “How could anyone afford something like that?”

“Glad you ask!” Emily continued to face the Society’s representatives as if it wasn’t Severin himself who had just asked that question from behind her. It took all her willpower to not only keep her face straight but, most importantly, to keep her voice from cracking. She wanted to cry.

“All four of our basic potions cost just one gold coin each. Platinum badge quality for bronze badge prices! And if that’s not enough for you, for just a small extra charge you can use our Alchemical Item Combinator,” with a practiced motion did the girl frame the strange machine standing in the corner of a room, “to customize any products and give them you very own, personalized touch. Regular patrons swear by it; So, buy now!”

“Only while stocks last!”