A sweet humming of the flowers from the garden was heard and a soothing song of theirs played throughout the surrounding of the what seemed to be a big, cosy hut but in reality was actually a herb store made out of a previouslt built house on a small, green hill surounded by nothing else other than a few trees, one of them being as big if not bigger than the house itself, gardens and a green house in the backyard.
Everything was tended with care and gave off warmth even in the coldest days in which the trees and gardens never faded in colour which wasn't an issue in a time of blooming.
"Sinclaire's Herbs huh..." someone said in front of the store.
Suddenly a doorbell rang and a middle-aged mercenary came inside the herb store. It wasn't huge but visibly bigger than regular shops in the cities.
The customer at first suspicious for how many herbs and supporting items the store had to offer thought how weird it was and with a skeptical look on his face started looking around the shop and in a nick of time appered before the counter but still with nothing in his hand to buy.
It wasn't the herbs that intrigued him now but the owner of so many items who stood behind the said counter.
A person, man of medium height, maybe slightly shorter in a visibly old and faded but taken care of robe, a hat which black, coiled strands of hair showed from underneath and with a fair tone of skin, or so to thought since all the customer could see was the back of said man for he was restocking the shelves.
The unknown made the customer curious but also frightened him as the focus was not only emanating from the young man but intimidated even the said C-class mercenary.
After a while of searching in this maze of a store and still not finding what he searched for the mercenary thought to himself whether or not this shop had everything.
Patience visibly laking from him, he aproached the counter, reached out for the bell on it but before he could grab it the bell rang by itself. The intimidating feeling fled the store like a curse or spell has been broken.
The shop keeper put the last of the vials he was holding on the shelf and turned around.
The man wasn't much prepared for what was to face him, as he was stunned to see that a man was wearing a mask.
An old wooden, dark almond colored mask with nothing else other than an asymmetric, golden pattern and eyeholes that couldn't be seen through as eyes were one of many things the mercenary couldn't see on the shop keeper.
"I'm going on an adventure, short one." said the mercenary.
The shop keeper nodded.
It frustrated the man that the person opposite to him didn't speak but continued on.
"It will allow me to go up in guild ranking to a B-class. I am aware that it's going to be tough so I need a health potion."
Once again the shop keeper didn't speak out and just put his hand on the mask like he was thinking, after a really short bit of a moment he reached his hand out like wanting to grab something which surprised the mercanary but not as much as what was about to happen.
A vial of blue liquid moved and exited a shelf in the row which was categorised as "health".
The vial soon reached the shop keeper almost hitting the mercenary. Shocked the man snapped out of it and ask the shop keeper.
"What was it?"
To which ofcourse he didn't get any reaction, he only saw the shop keepers hand reached out towards him with a vial.
"Is this a health potion?" the mercenary asked to which the shop keeper didn't answer with nothing else other than a subtle nod.
"But blue potions are weak... I need something stronger..." words which almost didn't get to be said from pure confusion the mercenary was currently in.
Suddenly the shop keeper placed the vial on the counter, reached for something underneath it. Finally grabbing it he raised himself with a huge chopper and placed his other hand on the counter. He then raised the chopper as he wanted to cut something, realising the target was his arm the mercenary stopped him halfway down.
"What are you doing?!" mercenary shouted
"Do you want to chop it-" before he could finish a cold glare flashed before him, the only moment when he could see the shop keepers eye, an amber coloured eye with determination inside them so big as to one could think that a gaze like that has ember to burn everything down. The mercenary froze, as to intimidation from said glare just rooted him in one place.
Shop keeper continued on, in front of the mercenary chopping down his own hand.
"Wha- What have you done..." said terrified man to now a one handed shop keeper who didn't even flinch to the thing he has done.
After chopping his hand off the shop keeper poured the liquid in the previously summoned vial on his hand.
Stunned mercenary couldn't move even thought he wanted to run away from a man that is thought to be as scary and crazy as to how much he has composure to do such things.
After the vial was emptied something caught mercenary's attention.
"Your- Your hand!" he said as he was witnessing something amazing, the hand that thought to be chopped was binding with the arm that lost it.
Once binded the shop keeper started moving it as if nothing happened, summoned another vial from the shelf with the recently lost arm and reached out towards the mercenary as if he was asking if he is willing to buy it.
"Huh..." the mercenary still stunned from what just happened couldn't make a single word to come out of his mouth.
The shop keeper shook the vial in his hand in front of the mercenary's face as if he tried to bring back his conciousness which he did.
"Are you insane?! What were you thinking?!" the man shouted to which he didn't get any reply other than the shook of a vial in shop keepers rebinded hand. "You are insane" said the mercenary.
"How much are these?" asked to which a shop keeper showed a one and a zero with his hands.
"Ten gold?! Well I guess it's fair since-" once again shop keeper stopped the mercenary in his track and waved his finger in front of him signaling as if he wanted to correct him.
"What? Just say it." frustrated mercenary responed but tried to keep calm as the thought of the shop keeper's insanity frightened him.
"You don't mean silver, definitely not considering the quality of this potion" to which the shop keeper nodded.
Once again the mercenary froze
"You're kidding..." and laughed to which the mysterious person just reached his hand out with the vial towards the mercenary as if to ask one more time if he was willing to buy.
"Oh my Tholgus you are not kidding. I will take fifty!" said the mercenary with enthusiasm to which the shop keeper visibly enraged waved his finger in front of him.
The aura in the store made breathing hard to come by.
"I can't take fifty?" the shop keeper waved his head from side to side as to say the mercenary couldn't take that many.
"Well how many can I buy then?" the shop keeper once again showed one and a zero but this time in a way to show the quantity of purchasable vials.
"Only ten?! Well fine..." frustrated, defeated but also happy mercenary reached out for his sack with money and got one gold coin and twety silver coins out of it and placed it on a counter. The shop keeper took the gold coin leaving the twenty silver coins.
"No, wait. Take the additional twenty. It's a steal honestly. Please, it will make my concious a little lighter."
Hesitant the shop keeper took the twenty coins and put it inside the counter, after which he took out a box and summoned ten vials of the same potion from the shelf and put them inside it.
"So much for that magic and you still reached physically for the box? Such mage you are..." the mercenary joked to which the shop keeper once again glared at him which resulted in swift leave of the customer.
At the entrance once again a realisation hit the mercenary, he turned around and spoke out to the shop keeper.
"Wait... Are you actually a mage-" before properly finishing the sentence the shop keeper once again interrupted the man and closed the door shut with a mere wave of his hand.
"I guess that answers it..." the man said to himself after which he went ahead towards the city in which his party waited. A couple of steps later he turned around to once again look at the mysterious store only to witness nothing else other than an empty hill. He couldn't see the building which he just left whereas our shop keeper was able to see the confused mercenary.
After his latest customer the shop keeper sat down in his office on the attic of the store and wrote down in his journal "I know my peace won't be everlasting but I cherish it and I will continue on cherrishing it. My life and the safety of not just myself but also of the others. The quietly moving time and the vast world that I once had the opportunity to share with my friend..." signed, Elijah Sinclaire Magus