Chapter 3:

Aranoa Soli: Alchemist Extraordinare (Part 3)

Aranoa: The Alchemist, The Princess, and The Endless Blue

Morrison told me about how big and beautiful Xande is, but just saying it could not ever compare to how beautiful it looks in person.

And this is just the commercial district!

There are buildings everywhereI

Big ones! Little ones! Tall ones! Wide ones! Buildings with colorful roofs, buildings with huge windows, buildings with giant signs hanging over their entrances!

And people!! So many people!

I've never seen this many people in one place before!

Deerkin, Wolfen, Foxkin, Harefolk, Ursan, Avians, and of course, Humans! And so many others that I've only read about from the journal Mama and Papa left behind.

I even see someone who looks like a Kobold walking around with a basket of fruit. Is that really a Kobold? I've never seen one before. I thought they were furrier—

Oh, a Dragonkin! With red skin and scales and—

No, that's just a person wearing a dragon mask.

I wonder if a Dragonkin will find that offensive.

Oh! And I saw some Felines, too! This is my first time seeing my own people outside of Mama and Papa! Should I go up and—

In the corner of my eye, I spot something shiny.

"Morrison!"

"What?" says the Deerkin casually, pulling the reins of the hippocampi and the carriage behind them.

"Look!" I point toward a shop with a giant golden sign hanging above it. "What is that?"

"A jewelry store."

"What do they sell?"

"Jewelry."

"What kind?"

"The kind you wear—woah, hey!"

Morrison calls out to me as I rush towards the shop, sprinting towards the big window pane.

So many cool stuff on display! Necklaces, rings, bracelets, little gemstones in all sorts of colors! Is that a Gosen Ruby!?

"Wow..." I murmur as I press my face against the glass.

I spot Morrison's reflection in the glass running up to me, carriage still in tow.

"Aranoa...don't just run off like that..." he pants, wiping a drop of sweat from his brow.

"Look at this, Morrison! These are all so shiny and sparkly!"

"Yeah, that's what jewelry tends to do."

"How much do you think they are?"

"A lot," he groans. "C'mon, kid, we gotta—"

"Ooh!" I shout, pointing at another shop at the far end of the . "Morrison, look! That one has cakes!"

"Wha—Aranoa!" He tries to grab the hood of my cloak, but I slip right under him and make a beeline towards the other shop, the streets a blur around me. I duck and dodge through a crowd, eventually skidding to a stop before the shop.

I reach the glass, pressing my palms against it. So many sweets on display! Huge cakes with a bunch of chocolate and stuff drizzling down, cookies the size of my hand, and so many little thingies in different colors!

I spot one of the workers sliding another cake into display, magic sparking above her snapping finger. She spots me too, her eyebrows scrunching up.

I wave at her, and she waves back. How nice.

Oh, but a cake right about now sounds so good...but I don't have money! Maybe I'll mooch off of Morrison for a bit.

Speaking of, I see him jog up to me again in the reflection.

"You...slippery...bastard..." he pants. The carriage was left nearby, reins tied to a pole.

"Hi, Morrison. Look at all these sweets!" I gesture towards them proudly like I was the one who made them.

"Stop...running off..."

"Sorry~" I stick my tongue out.

"Ugh..." he pats his chest twice, before shaking his head.

"How much do you think these are?" I ask, turning back to the window. My mouth waters just at the sight of all of these super cool looking sweets.

Oh! If they have sweets here, they must have something spicy! There's gotta be

"More expensive than what either of us can afford right now," he says, gripping onto the hood of my cloak and dragging me away from the window.

"Aw, c'mon! Can I just look inside for five minutes?" I plead, clasping my hands together.

"You can explore as much as you want after I get you a an inn to stay at."

"Why?" I humph, crossing my arms. "You have a house, right? Can't I just stay with you and your family?"

"Oh no no no," Morrison says as he sets me down on a bench, shaking his head vigorously. "It's a terrible idea for me to be bringing some random kid back home."

"Huh? Why? Just say you're babysitting."

"Like my wife will believe that..." He groans, crossing his arms as well. "My point is, you're perfectly fine with living on your own, and since you don't have any money, we just gotta find you a good place to stay for the time being."

"But..." I murmur, raising my hand. "Wouldn't you have to pay for each night I stay? My parents mentioned staying at inns before, and they complained about the prices."

"Children under 18 only have to pay once a month if they're staying long term."

"Ohh." I blink. "Wait why?"

"A lot of adventurers are quite young, so they put that system in place for inns to be cheaper overall."

"Cool. Do you think I could become an adventurer?" I ask.

I mean, why not, right? Becoming an adventurer like Mama and Papa brings me to a whole bunch of places! Exploration, gathering, maybe even finding clues about the Philosopher's Stone or my parents, so many things I can benefit from by just being an adventurer!

But from what I've heard from Mama and Papa, it's scary sometimes, too. A lotta monsters out there, apparently.

I'm not afraid of any silly monsters, though! Plus, my magic is super strong, so I'm like, the perfect adventurer!

"You could..." he mumbles, scratching his chin. "In any case, let's get going. The plaza is still a bit away."

"Kayyy," I respond, jumping up from the chair.

We go and collect the carriage and continue down the street, and I can't help but look around. You can't blame me! There's so much stuff to do that it's almost overwhelming. Each of the stalls and shops I see sells something different: fruits and veggies, cooked meat, raw meat, potions, clothing, metals, you name it!

And Morrison was right! A lot of adventurers I see are so young...they barely look older than I do!

Not to say that there isn't any older adventurers. It's like fifty-fifty, since I see some of the older folks with the signature adventurer badges that Mama and Papa had.

It took a while, but we finally arrived at the central plaza where Morrison wanted to go. It was somehow even bigger than the place with the stalls earlier.

A big fountain—unfortunately not made out of silver—sits in the center of the plaza, surrounded by people. There's adults sitting on the edge talking amongst each other, kids running around with carved wooden toys. Adventurers pour into a large building made of stone and slab at the far end of the plaza with a statue of a three-headed lion looming outside it. To the left is yet another big building, this one made of I think a dark oak wood with a big open porch full of tables and chairs.

To the right are a bunch of buildings that I think are more generalized shops. Back where we were, all of the ones we saw had specific themes and types of stuff they were selling. If I squint hard enough, I can see some of the stuff through the window, and it looks like they have a bunch of different stuff like potions and flower pots and stuff like that.

Does every kingdom have a bunch of shops? Do people just like buying stuff?

"That's the adventurer's guild over there," Morrison says, pointing at the big stone building. "And the one on the left is the inn."

"Oh, sweet. Which one is the one you're looking for?" I ask.

He points towards the direction of the shops to the right. "Past those at the very end is the Merchant's Guild. It's where I do all of my...merchanty stuff, to put it lightly."

"So the boring stuff?"

"It's not boring."

"Looks kinda boring to me."

"Yeah yeah." He says with a roll of his eyes.

"Can I go look around while you do your thing?" I ask, looking around for stuff to do. "I promise I won't do anything crazy."

"No, stick with me until I get done with whatever I need to." Morrison insists.

"What? C'mon, old man. Remember, I'm the one escorting you. So actually, you owe me so that means I can do whatever I want." I place my hands on my hips, smugly. He's forgetting that the only reason he's here is because of me!

"You—ugh." I places a hand to the side of his head, rubbing it. "Okay, fine. Y'know what?"

He walks over to one of the hippocampi, who looks lazy and a little tired, and reaches for a satchel, fumbling around with it for a bit. He walks back to me with a small bag of cloth with a string at the top in his hand.

"Here." He gives me the bag and pats my hands. The bag is a little heavier than I expected, and it feels like there's a bunch of hard stuff inside.

"What's in it?"

"Luns. Money, coins." He says, opening up the bag in my hand. He takes out three coins, one brown, kne silver, one gold.

"The bronze ones are worth 1 Lun, the silver ones are worth 100 Lun, and the gold ones are worth 1000 Lun. Most places would just ask you for a specific number of the type of coins, but I'm letting you know just in case. You have 5 gold coins, 12 silver, and 18 bronze. Do you know how to do math?"

"Of course I do!" I huff, feeling offended.

"How much is it then?"

"Uhh..." I look down to my fingers, counting in my head. So if a gold one is 1000, then—

"Nevermind." He says, dropping the coins back into the bag. "Just...make sure you don't lose all of it. Take this money, go get yourself some food and a room at the inn, and don't cause any trouble, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go do your thing." I say, gripping onto the bag and tightening the top, shooing him away. "Go, go."

"Seriously, don't cause trouble." Morrison says firmly. "I'll come back to you once the guards give back the sign of approval for Charles to remain near the castle walls. Until then..."

He crosses his arms. "If you need anything, my house is past that gate."

He points at a road between the inn and Adventurer's Guild, and I see an arch just barely peaking over the roofs.

"It has a big, green bush in the shape of a rose head on the front." He shrugs. "My wife has something of a green thumb."

"Oh, like me!" I exclaim.

"Kinda. Did you get all that?"

"Yeah, duhh. Don't worry, Morrison. I'm young, but I'm not stupid!" I assure him, patting him on the side of the arm.

"Hah..." he sighs, shaking his head. He looks me up and down, as if he doesn't completely trust me.

"Alright, then," he says anyways, "Don't cause any trouble!"

"Hehe! I won't!" I shout as I run towards the inn. "Bye, old man!"

"I'm not old!!" I hear him shout after me.

As I jog to the inn, tails flicking excitedly behind me, I greet some of the adventurers passing by.

"Hi!" I say to a Foxkin woman clad in leather gear.

"Uh...hi?"

I smile and keep jogging. A few steps later, I see a group of Harefolk carrying baskets of fruits. One is wearing robes, one is in plate armor, and the other has flowing garments that reveal a lot of skin.

"Hi!"

They all turn their heads and stare at me. One of them, the robed one, gives a confused little wave.

"Hi...?"

I wave back, then I keep going. People here are so nice.

Anyways, I eventually made it to the steps of the inn's entrance, and I gently push past the double doors leading inside.

The first thing that hits me is the smell.

When thinking about inns, I always recall the stories Mama and Papa told me, so I always expected them to smell like oak wood and smoke.

But when I stepped inside, it smelled like bread! Fresh, sweet bread! And right after it, the scent of meat!

Oh...I didn't even realize how hungry I was until I felt my mouth watering.

I shake my head. I can get the food after I get a room. Plus, I don't wanna accidentally spend all of the money Morrison gave me on food and not have enough for a room.

The inn's inside is also pretty nice. The room I'm in right now is separated into two sections, one on each side of a narrow path with a red carpet leading to a wide desk. Both sides are identical and look to be eating areas, with tables and chairs and an area at the far end which I think is a bar. Behind the bar counter is a place where the workers serve food off, and I see one of them—dressed in a smooth, white uniform—disappear into what I can only assume is the kitchen.

From how the room is laid out, the kitchen probably sits behind the counter in front and connects to both ends. On both sides of the counter are curved stairs that lead up and into the upper floors, where the rooms probably are.

I walk confidently through the inn, and I can feel a few eyes turning my way. I can see some whisper between themselves.

Is a kid going in here alone that rare?

In any case, I walk up to the desk, where a lady in a dark blue blouse and glasses stands behind. She smiles and tilts her head, her blonde hair falling just short of her shoulders.

"Oh, cute! Anything I can help you with, dear?" she asks, leaning closer. "Looking for your parents?"

I shake my head. "Mh-mh. I wanna rent out a room for myself."

"Oh!" She blinks, before smiling once more. "Just for yourself?"

"Mhm! Got the stuff right here." I say, procuring the bag and setting it on the desk. It makes a fun clinking sound.

"I see...well, it's not uncommon for younger kids to be out on their own in this part of town. Then what's your purpose for staying here?"

"I'm just visiting, and needed a place to stay. Why?"

"Just a question I have to ask everyone," the lady explains, "Protocol and whatnot."

I don't know what that word means. But it sounds important.

"In any case, a room for one is usually 1 silver per day, but since you're a minor, you only have to pay the fee every week."

"Ooh, sweet! I'll take it, then!" I exclaim happily, unraveling the string on the bag and procuring one silver coin and holding it out to her with a gloved hand.

"Of course," she chuckles, taking the silver from my hand and taking out a slip of paper from beneath the desk. "And I have to do this for everyone who stays here, but may I please ask for your name and occupation?"

"Huh? Why?"

"We just like to keep our clients' names on file. Makes it easier to keep track of who's who."

"Wouldn't you need like...something to prove that you're that person?" I muse.

"You're a minor, so that's not necessary."

"Oh, alright!"

"Then, name and occupation?" She continued, pulling out a pen from her breast pocket.

With a smug grin, I jut a finger towards my chest.

"Aranoa Soli! Alchemist!"

———

Hello, everyone! Aranoa Soli here! And I'm on a stealth mission!

After I checked into the room—it was really nice, by the way, with a HUGE bed and a big bathtub—I got bored and explored the plaza a bit more. It was there that I found this weird looking guy dressed in a tattered cloak that was covering his whole body. He looked really suspicious, so I followed him!

Hm? I'm wearing a cloak, too? Well, the difference is that my cloak is nice and clean, and I take care of it!

Besides, a beautiful girl like me doesn't look suspicious at all!

And why am I doing this, you ask? Well, it's fun! That's why! Plus, if it's a bad guy that needs to be taught a lesson, Aranoa here is a good mage on top of being a top-notch alchemist!

You can sing my praises now.

In any case, just to make sure he wasn't causing trouble, I followed behind him using some cloaking magic. This stuff really comes in handy sometimes.

Right now, I'm deep in the alleyways of an area near the plaza. It's between a bunch of bigger buildings made out of steel with a bunch of steam and smoke coming out of it—factories, I think. Papa told me about them before, since he said he had a friend who worked in one.

It's dark, and I can't really make out much besides the man I'm following and a door at the end of the alleyway. Only a single torch lamp is lit right above it, casting a kinda scary glow.

Suddenly the man stops, and I quickly duck behind a stack of wooden crates. He looks around himself. Left, right, then he knocks on the door.

Rap, tap, tap.

Three times.

Tap tap.

Then twice.

"Hmm?" I hum to myself, holding my hat in place as I tilt my head. Wouldn't want my position to be revealed because of it!

The man looks around again, before leaning in and whispering.

"Wha—hey! That's cheating!" Even with my Feline hearing, I can't make out the words.

The little window closes, a bunch of clicking sounding a few seconds later.

Then, the door opens, and the man slips inside.

"Oh!" I quietly leap out from behind the crates and hurry towards him, but—

Bang!

The door slams shut in my face.

"Aw, no..."

I grab the handle, but it's locked tight. I puff my cheeks, tails twirling impatiently.

There has to be another way in...

I look around, inspecting the big wall that the door is part of. I can't exactly pry open the door with my dainty little fingers, and I don't see any sort of crack in the wall that I can squeeze through. If I wanna take this stealthily, I can't use magic either.

There's gotta be something—oh! There! A bit above the door is a vent opening! These are everywhere where a steam-operated device is nearby. My atelier has some, too! The furnace is steam-operated, which is really convenient.

I got off track. Anyways, the vent is the perfect "sneaky" way in.

I smile and rub my hands together. "Stealth mission~"

I climb onto a nearby crate, then a pipe, then onto a big metal box that I don't know the purpose of.

As a Feline, climbing stuff is a piece of cake. The metal is more slippery than I imagined, though.

I eventually get up to the vent, reaching for the vent cover and pulling it off. It doesn't seem like it's bolted down. That doesn't seem safe.

I stare into the dark tunnel, hearing my own breath echo down it.

It looks kinda cramped...but I'm used to cramped places!

I crawl forward, gently and quietly. It smells faintly of iron and...something that smells like waste. Eugh.

Thankfully, my hat didn't get stuck in any of the ridges, but my cloak did get snagged once.

I found myself at a crossroads: one left and one right. Before I could even make a decision, I felt something pop out beneath me.

"Ueh?" I freeze.

Another pop.

"That doesn't—oh."

Then, the panel beneath me drops, and I no longer have anything to crawl on.

"Uh-oh."

I fall pretty fast for a teeny kitty.

"AAAAHHHH!!"

THUD!

I land back-first onto cool ground, the new room temperature tickling my bare legs. I slowly sit up, rubbing my spine.

"Ow ow ow...hope I didn't bruise anything..." I groan as I stand up.

I rub the back of my head and look around.

Looks like I ended up in a storage room—at least I think it is from all of the unopened boxes, crates, tools, and other things I don't recognize.

I pick up a metal bottle, shaking it. Something rattles inside. I quickly put it back, just in case it's an explosive or something.

There's a box labeled with a bunch of numbers that's all gibberish to me.

Another box with more numbers.

"This place is boring," I say out loud, scratching my head. "And kinda damp and hot..."

They need fresh air up in here.

I walk around the room for a bit more, before I notice a door at one corner.

"An exit!" I say, jogging up to it. I turn the handle, and—

Click!

It's unlocked! Good progress.

I slowly take a deep breath, then open the door.

My smile could not have dropped any faster.

It's a really big room separated into what I think are two sections, with the section I'm not on being barred by a steel bars down the middle. My side is relatively empty, but the other...

Is full of cages. Dozens of them, no, hundreds even.

My ears flatten against my head, and my tails stop moving altogether.

Inside each cage is an animal. And they're everywhere.

Three-tailed foxes, Los Sano wolves, colorful birds.

A gryphon cub huddles by itself in the corner of its cage, its tiny wings folding over itself.

A pair of Pixies sit silently inside a glass enclosure, their own wings drooping.

A young unicorn with a chain around its neck, and a dragon who looks extremely upset.

I don't blame it.

Then, in the near distance, hippocampi. The same dark blue coat as the ones Morrison has. Their family.

Morrison did say he bough from some shady guys...but who knew they were straight up villains!

My hands slowly curl into fists. So many innocent animals that deserve to live their own lives free of...all of this.

It makes me...so so angry.

Time to teach them a lesson.

"I don't know who these people are..." I murmur, summoning my staff Twiggy from thin air. "But bad guys...must be punished!"

I point Twiggy towards the bars. "You'll all be free soon!"

The tip of my staff glows a bright white and orange.

In this world, Magic can be casted freely without chants at 100% efficiency. However, to achieve the best results and empower your spells...chanting is the way to go.

And I want this place to go.

"O' Mother of Molten Earth,"
"Heed my call and beck,"
"Burn down all in my sight,"
"And leave not even ash in my wake!"

A brilliant sphere of flame appears directly above the center of the steel barrier, glowing and burning with such intensity that the already hot area becomes scalding.

For just a moment, everything goes silent. And then...

"Flarestar!"

The sphere collapses in on itself before—

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The entire room shakes with the sound as the steel bars explode outward, a lot of them clattering onto the ground with a clink.

WEE-OO WEE-OO WEE-OO!

"Whoops..." I cough and wave the smoke away from me. Maybe I went overboard...?

My ear twitches, turning to my right. Footsteps. Many of them.

And they're coming right towards me.

Clenching my staff in my hand, I stand in front of the flames and face a door at the end of the side I'm on.

They slam open, men and women pouring in with weapons drawn.

"What the hell happened!?"