- The Town -

A horned rabbit grazes in the shrubbery. It follows a path of carrot bits to a clearing. The bunny follows diligently to a large gathering of the vegetable. Where a dark shadow rises above just out of sight. It raises a club above its head…

“I… can’t!” Akari yells!

The bunny becomes startled and runs away.

“What are you doing?!” Taro shouts from a short distance away, “It got away!”

“Aaggghh!!” Akari writhes on the ground, “I can’t, it’s too cute!”

“Fool! Don’t complain to me about being bored of boar meat ever again!” Taro

“Noooo!!! I’m sick of it! Sick of it!” Akari whines “But I don’t want to kill a bunny!!!”

“(This brat!)” Taro thinks, “(She’s only had cooked food for a month and she’s already this much of a picky eater?!)”

“Wahhh -!” she continues to whine but suddenly stops, “Someone’s coming.”

Taro freezes and listens.

After a moment, past some bushes he hears a group of people.

“Ahh I can’t walk any longer!!” Says one of the voices.

Akari and Taro both peek over the brush to see a group of weary adventurers. It was made up of an archer elf, dwarf paladin and a halfling mage. The elf seemed badly damaged and covered in bandages.

“Bear with it elf,” the dwarf snaps, “Were almost to town,”

“What I wouldn’t do for a mug of cool ale…” the halfling adds

Taro and Akari look at each other.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” asks Taro,

“I am.” Akari responds,

“Good.” Taro concludes,

“...”

“... Let’s kill them.” Akari says getting ready,

“...”

“What?!” Taro yells, “That’s not what I was thinking at all?!”

“Who’s there?! Show yourself!” The dwarf demands,

“Ack! We’ve been had!” Taro panics,

Taro stands out from the bush with his arms up

“RELAX! WE MEAN NO HARM!” Taro pleads,

“KA-”

“DON’T SAY KAPPA!” Taro barks,

“A-!”

“I MEAN IT! DON’T DO IT!” Taro points,

The party looks to each other confused for a bit, but the elf accidentally looses an arrow. It heads right for Taro.

*Kling!

Akari deflects the projectile just in time.

“This is why humans are so much trouble!” she bemoans, getting ready to attack.

An extended fight occurs, with it ending in Akari’s victory.

“Haah…” Taro sighs, “I can’t say I feel good about this,”

Taro loots the bodies for supplies.

“Hmm? I don’t see the problem really,” she pokes another body.

“Leave the gold, weapons and armor like I said!” Taro orders,

“Yeah, yeah... I heard you the first time.”

The haul from the party were mostly rations and some maps. The pair neatly lines up bodied next to each other so the party can find them just off the dirt road.

“Hmmm…” Taro looks at the map, “The marshes are just a day’s journey from here. That said, there is a town just up ahead. It would be nice to stay at an inn after all we’ve been through.”

“A human one.” Akari adds, “Not much we can do about that, no?”

“Perhaps…” he thinks,

Taro looks at the bandaged up elf.

“Unless…”

…

“Coming through!” Taro shouts to the town guards watching the gate.

“Halt!” the guard blocks his path, “It was a good thing I had a good look at you! I almost mistook you for a kappa!”

“... Leaving that aside I need you to let me in!” Taro demands. “ I have wounded!”

The guard peers over the shoulder of the boy. He carried Akari on his back with her head bandaged into a large ball.

“My goodness!” the other guard says “This is serious! Her skin?!”

“That’s right!” Taro interrupts his train of thought, “My party member had been poisoned by something from the Black Serpent’s dungeon and her skin has been turning all sorts of colors!”

“You must see the healer!” the guard cries,

“There’s no time!” Taro shouts “I have the herbs necessary to save her life, I only require an inn for her healing!”

“Then you must hurry!” both guards take steps to the side quickly, “It's the third building on the right!”

“With haste!” Taro sets off,

He regales the story once more to the inn’s master and secures a room for the night.

“PwahH!” Akari breathed a sigh of relief when she got the mass of bandages off her head.

“Did you have to put ‘em on so tight!” she complains, "I couldn't breath!"

“You put them on, remember?!” Taro shoots back,

“Oh yeah,” Akari concedes, “Pretty smooth though, Taro! We got in without a hitch!”

“Hehe… Yeah, not too shabby if I do say so myself,” he starts, “And I do!”

Akari then enjoys the luxuries of a furnished room, while Taro goes out to shop for materials.

He picks up a kit of lockpicks and requests instructions from the shop keeper on how to use them.

“So these can help me get through some rooms in the Black serpent’s dungeon?” he asks,

“Mhm, it should work just fine” the shopkeeper answers, “Though I’d be careful, rumor was that an adventurer was poisoned so bad her skin turned red!”

“Haha.. That does sound bad” Taro nervously laughs the and points to silver bells on the counter, “What are these?”

“Oh those? They’re warding bells for the swamp,”

“Warding bells? Warding from what?” Taro asks,

“Banshees,” He says with a dour face, “Nasty things will eat you alive if you’re caught out in the fog.”

“I see, I’ll take two of those too then.” Taro finishes up and pays for the materials.

Just then, a small halfling woman enters the shop. She had a red ponytail with a bandana and wore simple white linens with a green apron.

“Ah you there!” she points to Taro. “You must be the newcomer that brought that patient into town"

“Me?” Taro asks perplexed,

“I am this town’s healer, Amata, I must know of this affliction so I can heal my people aswell!”

“Uhhh…” Taro’s head goes blank. “I’m not sure who you're talking to,”

“You mister! You! What *herbs* did you use?” She pokes at Taro’s stomach.

“H-Hey!... I gotta go!” Taro hurries out,

…

“Hmm…” The small woman hums suspiciously,

…

“We've got to get out of here at the crack of dawn!” Taro says, “People are asking about you,”

“Oh wow!” Akari says, “Am I famous?”

“Not in a good way,” Taro snaps, “Focus!”

“Geez! Touchy!” she says,

Just then someone steps into the room. Taro was remiss in closing the door.

“My god.” the voice said,

Amata was in the room with the two. They froze in place, Akari eyeballs the club across the room.

“It’s worse than I thought!” Amata exclaims, “You’ve grown a horn as well!”

She walks up and puts a hand on Akari’s forehead.

“No fever though,” she mumbles to herself, “That’s interesting…”

“Uh… This is a private room!” Taro attempts to get her to leave,

“I know, I know!” she interrupts, “ But I had to be sure!”

She follows the eyes of Akari to the club, a small pile of carrot bits sat there where she snacked on them.

“Ah I see! You’ve treated her with swamp carrots! They are known to help with fevers, very good!” she continues, “Though what to do with your skin tone and horn?...”

Amata was off in a world of her own at this point.

“Aha!” she cries, “Try this!”

Amata opens up a pocket from her side pouch and mixes it with a powdered substance. After giving it a few good shakes she hands it to Akari.

“Uh.. okay?” she took a swig.

*Poof!

A purplish smoke covers Akari and dissipates as quickly as it appears.

Miraculously, Akari’s skin tone had lost its pigment! She looked human! Even lacking her signature horn!

“Wha-?! How?!” Taro bewilderedly asks,

“Fufufu! That’s for you to find out, my fellow herbologist!” Amata says smugly, “My work here is done!”

With an accomplished stride the small miracle worker walks down the stairs. Like a natural disaster she came and left earth shattering changes in just a moment's time.

“... W-What just happened…?” Taro questions still in shock,