Chapter 71 – Small Elven Alchemist

Chapter 71

Small Elven Alchemist

Date : Day 5 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Hyoren and Elise stood in front of "Grit & Gear Arms." Hyoren smiled widely. The challenge was accepted. And he was ready to go with it. The weight of the new weapon felt good in his storage bag.

He then looked at Elise. The weapon was secured. Now it was time to finish another quest of them.

"Let's go, Elise? To finish our herb quest?"

Elise nodded. Her mood was lowered. The brightness from earlier dimmed. Shadowed by the upcoming encounter.

"Sigh. Can't really delay this any longer. Oh well. Let's go, Hyoren."

They started walking. Elise led Hyoren through the Adventurer's District. Weaving through the crowd.

The busy district accompanied them left and right. Vendors calling their wares. Adventurers discussing quests. The normal rhythm of the city. They arrived at the slope and archway which led to the Merchants' District. The transition was subtle but present. The shops changed. The crowds shifted.

Elise's steps became heavier the longer they walked. Her mood was also getting worse. Her pointed ears were deflated. Drooping slightly. She clicked her tongue multiple times. The sound was sharp and annoyed. Each click a small expression of frustration.

Hyoren was amused. The animosity between the two elves looked deeply rooted. He was curious what kind of person Oria was, to make Elise truly hate her. The normally composed ranger was unraveling at the edges. All because of one name.

After walking a few blocks through the district, Elise stopped in front of the store.

It was a simple and unassuming store without decorations or big signs. The curtain also covered the window. Or perhaps something else. The only sign indicating it was a store was a small text on the glass door—Oria's Potion Shop. And a small sign which said "Open." The lettering was precise.

Hyoren stopped beside Elise. Tilted his head.

"Is this the place, Elise? It looks... unassuming..."

Elise scoffed. The sound was bitter.

"Pfft. Unassuming. That's the apt name for the pipsqueak."

Hyoren smiled wryly. The hostility was palpable. Radiating from her posture. Her expression. Her tone.

"You really fine, Elise? I can go in by myself if you are so reluctant."

Elise shook her head. Her silver hair swayed with the motions. The refusal was instant.

"No. As I said before, we are a party. We took the quest together. So we will finish it together."

She sighed. The sound carried frustration. Resignation. And something else beneath the surface.

"Sigh... And well... There's something I need to say to her. So this is perfect timing."

Hyoren nodded. Understanding. The words held weight. Purpose beyond the quest. He didn't press.

"Okay then, Elise. Let's go."

Elise then stepped forward. And what she did next made Hyoren's jaw drop.

With quick motion and losing all her gracefulness, she barged into the shop, slamming the door open with a bang. The sound echoed through the street. Sharp and loud. She then shouted loudly.

"PIPSQUEAK. I'M COMING TO DELIVER YOUR SHITTY HERBS!"

Her voice was so loud, lacking grace. A complete departure from her usual composed demeanor. She went inside. The door swung on its hinges from the force. The bells attached to it rang frantically. A chaotic welcome.

Hyoren's jaw was still dropped. His eyes widened. He didn't expect Elise to do this stunt. The sudden transformation. The raw emotion. The complete lack of restraint.

He shook his head to dispel his confusion, and followed Elise inside. His steps were careful. Preparing for what awaited.

Inside, he saw Elise with arms crossed and stood near the door. Her eyes scanned the interior, until her eyes locked into one place. Where a figure sat in front of an alchemy table.

 An apparatus, boiling cauldron. Glass tubes arranged in complex formations. Bubbling liquids. Colored smoke rising from various containers. The workspace was cluttered but organized. Everything in its place. A system only the owner understood.

She was busy concocting while eating fruits. One of her arms manipulating the apparatus, the other reaching a bowl full of fruits nearby before throwing the fruit to her mouth. Hyoren easily recognized the fruits—Rainlume. The same fruit Elise loved.

He focused on the figure—Oria.

She was an elf. With similar pointed ears and long silver hair as Elise. The resemblance was there. The shared heritage.

But opposite of Elise. She was—small. Hyoren gauged her height to be only about 150cm. And her figure was also childlike, without any womanly curve. A stark contrast to Elise's taller, curvier frame. She wore blue robes which hugged her body, the color matching her eye colors. And in one of her eyes, she wore a monocle. The glass reflected the apparatus's light. Giving her a scholarly looks.

"Can you shut up? My delicate brain can't take that noisy mouth of yours, cowtits."

She shot her a look of pure irritation. The words were sharp.

"Your tits already bigger than they need to be, and your voice somehow manages to be even bigger."

She then took another Rainlume from the bowl, before stepping closer. The motion was casual and deliberate.

"Or is your brain not functioning properly? Oh wait, I forgot you got tits as a brain. That's why you can't even do simple magic."

She then put the Rainlumes into her mouth. And with a crunch, she started munching. The sound was loud. Mocking. Adding insult to injury.

Elise, who stood in silence for a while, finally realized what Oria kept eating. Her shoulders shuddered. The realization came slowly. Then all at once. The pieces falling into place.

She slowly inched forward. Her steps were deliberate. Controlled, but barely.

"I see. I already had a hunch. I know it's you. No one else in this city actually bought entire stocks of Rainlumes."

Her gaze locked into the bowl full of Rainlumes, which might be too much for a single person to eat in a single day. To Oria. The evidence was overwhelming. The conclusion undeniable.

"SO IT'S YOU WHO BOUGHT ALL MY RAINLUMES."

Elise jumped forward. The motion was sudden. Explosive. All restraint gone.

"I WILL STRANGLE YOU, PIPSQUEAK!"

Before Hyoren could stop her. She already moved. The transformation was instant. Complete.

"Wait..."

Too late.

Elise launched herself forward and slammed straight into Oria. The two of them hit the floor with a loud crack. The wooden boards protesting under the impact. Tools rattled on shelves. Glass tubes trembled in their holders.

"...Elise."

Hyoren finished, far too late to matter. The words hung in the air. Useless. Forgotten.

They rolled across the floor in a tangle of limbs, knocking into a chair that tipped over with a clatter. The sound echoed through the shop. Joined by grunts. Shouts. The thud of bodies against wood.

Elise scrambled on top, her hands immediately going for Oria's throat. Her fingers curved. Ready to squeeze. To throttle.

"Give me back my Rainlumes, pipsqueak!"

Oria shoved at her shoulders, trying to push her off, but Elise clung on like a vengeful spirit. The grip was iron-like and unrelenting.

"Crazy cow tits! Stop!"

They rolled again. Boots scraping. Elbows knocking into anything unfortunate enough to be nearby. A stool collapsed under a stray kick. Bottles rattled on shelves. The chaos spread.

"Let go!"

At one point, it was unclear who was on top anymore. The struggle was constant. Shifting. A blur of silver hair and flailing limbs.

"Not until you give it back!"

Another crack echoed as something—possibly the floor, possibly a chair—gave in under them. The shop's interior was becoming a casualty of their war.

Hyoren watched in silence for a moment. His hand extended uselessly. His mouth slightly open. The scene before him was absurd and surreal. Two grown elves—though one looked barely grown—wrestling like children over fruit. The dignity of both completely absent.

On the ground, the two continued to wrestle with absolutely no restraint, no elegance, and certainly no dignity. Grunts and shouts filled the air. Insults flew between them. Each word sharper than the last.

Not a single trace of grace could be found in either.

***

Hyoren was torn. He wanted to separate them. Stop their fight. But he was not sure how. The two elves were locked in a struggle that seemed to escalate by the second. Insults flew. Limbs tangled. Should he step in? Should he pull them apart? The situation was absurd. Unexpected. Beyond his experience.

But after a while, he noticed something was off. The observation came slowly. Gradually. Then all at once.

Elise and Oria were wrestling and exchanging insults. But when he looked at their fight again—really looked—their eyes lacked enmity. And the opposite. Their eyes were sparkling. Bright with something other than anger. And their fight was actually not harmful.

Elise's hand was on Oria's throat. But the hands only lightly touched it. A pretense. A show. Oria tried to shove Elise over. But there was no power behind her arms. The motions were theatrical.

It was like a fight between two close friends who transcended their bonds. They could fight like this without restraint because they did love each other. The insults were not weapons. They were their rituals. A language only they understood.

Hyoren lowered his extended arms. Decided to let the two do whatever they wanted. His shocked expression turned warm. The realization settled in his chest. The animosity he perceived was surface level. A mask. Beneath it lay something deeper. Something genuine.

Elise and Oria were still wrestling with each other. Rolling across the floor. Grappling. Pulling. The chaos continued unabated.

"I will strangle you once for every Rainlume you eat, pipsqueak!"

Oria tried to pull Elise's ponytail. Her fingers tangled in the silver strands. Tugging. Yanking. But without real force.

"Try if you can, cow tits!"

Hyoren stood. Watching them with amused eyes. The scene was absurd. Two grown elves—though one looked far from grown—wrestling like children in a potion shop. Bottles lined the shelves. Apparatus bubbled nearby. And in the middle of it all, two friends expressed their bond through violence. Through insults. Through chaos. And then finally he saw the change.

Their wrestling stopped. And Oria was now on top of Elise who lay on her back on the hard floor. The struggle ended. Replaced by something else. Something quieter.

Elise's expression was unreadable. Her emerald eyes locked into Oria's blue eyes. Her ears twitched slowly. The playful aggression faded. The insults died on her lips. She looked up at the smaller elf.

Oria on top started sobbing. Her eyes were watered. A streak of tears started to drop. The tough facade crumbled. The sharp-tongued alchemist dissolved into something vulnerable. Something raw.

"Why are you not saying anything, cow tits?"

Elise smiled. Her right hand moved to wipe Oria's tears. The gesture was tender. Familiar. A motion practiced through years of friendship.

"What do you want me to say, pipsqueak?"

Oria sobbed, breath catching in her throat. When she tried to breathe in, it came out as a loud, ungraceful sniffle. The sound was raw.

"Apologize to me! For making me worry!"

Oria couldn't hold her tears anymore. The dam broke. The emotions she had kept bottled—suppressed beneath work and routine—poured out.

"You were gone for almost four weeks!"

She sobbed again. The words tumbled out.

"You said your quest only lasts for two weeks! I was worried! I asked Ina before and she also said it's unusual, and if you go missing for longer, she would create a rescue quest. But I can't do anything!"

She shook her head. The tears streaked down her cheeks. Falling onto Elise's leather tunic.

"Baron Akela needs me to keep producing potions. I can't be selfless and go to the forest on my own to look for you!"

She then wailed. The word came out broken. Fractured. Repeated like a mantra.

"I was worried! Stupid cow tits! Stupid! Stupid!"

She then buried herself in Elise's generous chest. The sobs continued. Muffled against fabric and flesh. Her small frame shook with each breath.

Elise hugged her back. Patting Oria's back. The motion was soothing. Calm. She had done this before. Would do it again. The rhythm of comfort between old friends.

"There... there. Sorry if I made you worried, pipsqueak. But I'm back, safe and sound."

Hyoren watched the two elves. One moment, they tried to strangle each other. And the next moment, they hugged and cried to each other. The transformation was complete. The truth revealed. The chaos was not hatred. It was love expressed in the only way they knew how.

He looked at them with warm eyes. At their bonds. Their connection. Their friendship. The insults were not venom. They were affection disguised as hostility. The wrestling was not violence. It was reunion expressed through chaos. Two friends who had found each other again. Four weeks of worry. Four weeks of fear. All released in a tangle of limbs and tears on a potion shop floor.

***

Hyoren decided to wait for them to settle for themselves. He found a stool nearby, and sat on it. Waiting patiently. The shop was quiet now. The chaos had passed. Only the occasional sniffle from Oria broke the silence. The apparatus still bubbled in the background. The cauldron still steamed. Life continued despite the emotional storm that had just passed through.

After a while, Oria's sobbing started to go quieter. The tears stopped flowing. Her breathing steadied. She raised her face from Elise's bosom. Her face was full of tears. Streaks of moisture covered her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and red. The aftermath of four weeks of worry released in a single moment.

She then slowly stood. Oria's pointed ears were red and twitched. The embarrassment was creeping in.

Her blue eyes then wandered into the stool where Hyoren sat. Her monocle was slanted in weird angles.

Then realization dawning. She finally realized there was one more person in the room. Her gaze locked onto Hyoren. Her mouth opened and closed quickly. Like a fish outside the water. Her face became so red. Embarrassed. Not knowing there was another person who witnessed her breakdown. The composed alchemist. The sharp-tongued potion maker. Reduced to a sobbing mess in front of a stranger.

Words caught in her throat. She then quickly bolted into the back of the room in silence. Her footsteps retreated rapidly. A door opened and closed.

Hyoren chuckled. It seemed Oria was similar to Elise when processing their own breakdowns. It might be an elven thing. Or it was just these two elves' similarities. The pattern was familiar. The mask falling. The exposure. The quick retreat to compose oneself. The refusal to be seen vulnerable.

Elise stood next. She dusted her skirts. Fixing her disheveled leather tunic. She also combed her tangled silver hair with her fingers. Her movements were back to being graceful. Composed. The ranger returning. She smoothed out the wrinkles of her tunic. Adjusted her collar. Checked her appearance. As if the wrestling match had never happened.

Hyoren then asked her. The question was soft and concerned.

"Are you fine, Elise?"

Elise chuckled. The sound was light. Dismissive. As if the chaos earlier was nothing.

"Fufu. Of course I am. There's no way that pipsqueak can harm me."

She said smugly. Her generous chest was puffed. Pride radiated from her posture. The competitive spirit still burning. Even after the emotional reunion.

Hyoren nodded. Smiled widely. The amusement was evident. The revelation still settling in his mind.

"I didn't expect this though. I thought you truly hate Oria. Turns out..."

His words trailed off. No need to be spoken. The truth was obvious. The hatred was a mask. The insults were affection. The chaos was love.

Elise tilted her head. Confused. Or pretending to be confused.

"Huh. What do you mean, Hyoren? I hate that pipsqueak so much!"

Hyoren chuckled. Even now, she was not honest. Or maybe it was the way they expressed their love. He wouldn't question them. The bond was clear. The method of expression was theirs alone.

At the same time, Oria was back. She already combed her silver hair and fixed her robe. And she seemed to have already washed her face. Her tears and snot-stricken face were gone. Replaced by composure. Masked by dignity. Her blue eyes were still slightly red, and her pointed ears were still deflated and red. An indicator of her earlier breakdown. The evidence remained. Subtle but present.

"And I hate you so much too, cow tits."

She then heaved a sigh. The sound was dramatic. Exaggerated. The return to normalcy. She then went into the sofa nearby. And sat down. Her small frame sank into the cushions. The furniture was worn but comfortable. Clearly used often for customers or visitors.

"Okay, you two. Please sit down. And cow tits, do tell me who this is."

Oria pointed at Hyoren. Accusatory. The monocle on her eye glinted in the light. Her gaze was sharp. Analytical. The alchemist returning to her element. The shop owner assessing a new variable.

"And explain to me what happened. Why were you missing for four weeks? Something which never happened in these ten years..."

***

Hyoren and Elise then sat on the sofa in front of Oria. The cushions sank under their weight. The fabric was worn but comfortable. Clearly used often for conversations like this. Oria was waiting for the answer. Her blue eyes fixed on them. The monocle glinted in the light.

Elise then looked up. Trying to decide where to start the story. The events of four weeks were complex. Difficult to summarize. After a few seconds, she then decided. The beginning was the best place.

"How to start... Well firstly. Pipsqueak, this is Hyoren."

She smiled. The expression was warm. A mixture of gratitude and affection.

"He was the reason I am still alive now. My life savior. My new party member. And now, my lover."

Hyoren nodded. The introduction was formal. He faced Oria directly. Meeting her gaze.

"Nice to meet you, Oria. I'm Hyoren Enjo. You can call me Hyoren."

Oria's eyes widened. She was surprised. The monocle shifted slightly on her face. The word "lover" had caught her off guard. But afterwards, she smiled. The expression was genuine. The sharp-tongued alchemist softened.

"Your life savior you say..."

Her eyes then wandered to Hyoren. Scanned him from top to bottom. Like she was measuring his worth. Evaluating his presence. Understanding what kind of person could capture Elise's heart.

"And your lover... I'm glad you finally found yours after all these years, cow tits… it was surprising."

She smiled warmly. She was truly happy for Elise. The words carried weight. A decade of watching her friend alone. Guarded. Now finally opened.

She stopped for a while. Trying to find her next words. The questions were many. Where to begin. What to ask. How to process everything.

"What actually happened. It was so... sudden... for the last few weeks. I was cooped up in this place... without information from outside."

Elise smiled. And she started her story. The beginning was clear. The starting point obvious.

"It starts with my quest. Scouting the Forest of No Return to confirm Goblin King's activity."

She then started her story. The quest went smoothly at first. Days of travel. Quiet observation. Routine scouting. Then she got overconfident. And captured by goblins. The word was heavy. Laden with shame and relief.

"You got captured?"

Oria shuddered. The thought was horrifying. Her friend. Her longtime companion. At the mercy of goblins. The implications were dark. The possibilities endless.

Elise nodded. The admission was difficult. But necessary.

"Yes, if not because of Hyoren here, I don't know what was going to happen to me."

Elise then started talking about her encounter with Hyoren. He saved her. Then both of them decided to journey together. Their struggle battling Alpha wolves. And their subsequent return to Akela. The words flowed. Each event building on the previous. A cascade of survival. Cooperation. Growing trust.

Hyoren tried to add details there and there. Helping weave the narrative for Elise. Filling in gaps. Clarifying moments. Adding perspective. Oria nodded and gasped each time the story reached their climax. Her expressions shifted with the narrative. Concern. Surprise. Relief. Awe.

Elise then talked about their recent quest to Stonewell and Oria's herb quest. About the decision to become lovers.

"And that's our story, pipsqueak."

She concluded. The narrative complete. Four weeks condensed. A lifetime of events shared in a single conversation.

Oria's widened eyes finally receded. She nodded. Processing. Understanding. The pieces falling into place.

"I see. A lot of things have happened in the last four weeks, cow tits. Talk about being a recluse. I was stuck inside my store. Brewing potions every day..."

She smiled. The expression was rueful. Self-deprecating. The irony of her situation. While her friend was fighting for her life, she was brewing potions.

"I never thought you were going to find a lover after all these years. But congratulations, cow tits. I'm happy for you. Especially knowing what actually happened to you, after you decided to move here to Akela... your first years of adventuring in human countries."

Oria knew her story. She already knew Elise for ten years. Her past trauma. Her early activity. Her rough early career made her decide to never party with men anymore. The betrayal. The pain. The walls built around her heart. All known to the small alchemist sitting before them.

Elise smiled back. Her pointed ears twitching. Happy. The acknowledgment was meaningful. Coming from Oria. From someone who understood.

"Thank you, pipsqueak."

Oria then faced Hyoren. The shift was abrupt. Deliberate. The friendly demeanor remained. But a new edge appeared beneath.

"Your name is Hyoren, right? Thank you for saving this cow tits. Please tell me if you need something. I will do anything as long as I can."

She bowed slightly. Thanking him. For saving her best friend. The gesture was formal. Genuine. A debt acknowledged.

Her gaze then locked into his eyes. Her blue eyes were burning. The monocle reflected the light. The warmth remained. But beneath it lay something sharper. Something protective. A warning wrapped in gratitude.

"And don't make her sad. Understand?"

Hyoren's jaw tightened. His posture straightened. The weight of the words settled on him. Not a threat exactly. A promise. An expectation. A boundary drawn by someone who cared deeply for the woman beside him.

"I promise. Oria."

Oria nodded. Satisfied.