The Understudy of an Alchemist

48. The Four

"We need to put him on a leash next time." Varian sighs in frustration, as we walk up and down the avenues, eyes peeled for any signs of the runaway creature. I wrap my arms tightly across my chest. "I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault, if I hadn't of stormed off like a child, then we wouldn't have gotten separated."

Varian waves me off. "Don't worry, it was bound to happen. And I think that these rocks are making him anxious." I nod in agreement, still wrapping my arms tightly across my chest. "Hmm. That's understandable, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be." My eyes flicker back over to the rocks, before diverting my eyes.

We continue to call his name for several more minutes, but to no avail. I frown once more, detangling strands of ebony that had tangled in my necklace. "We have no chance finding him if we cover the same ground. We should split up." Varian doesn't look so sure. "Are you sure you're up to it? Mentally, I mean." I bite my lip as I ponder this, before nodding. "I should think so. If not, you'll find me curled up into a ball in some alleyway."

He still looks uncertain, yet finally nods in agreement. "Alright. You cover the east side, and I'll cover near the castle." I respond with a thumbs up, before I head off in that direction; still refusing to look at the rocks. I refuse to stoke my anxiety anymore.

Cupping my hands over my mouth, I call, "Ruddiger!!!" But to no avail. I growl in annoyance, as I repeat the raccoon's name several more times, walking up and down the cobblestoned streets, possibly looking like a maniac to onlookers. "RUDDIGER!!!"

"Who on earth is Ruddiger?"

I nearly have a heart attack at the sound of the voice, before I whirl over to the familiar girl standing behind me. "Ivy." I gasp, as I walk over to her. Her eyes are flickering around the town square at the new invaders. "Geez. These aren't your doing, are they?" I shake my head as I walk over to her side. "No.....they're not. Are you...." I falter slightly, trying to find the best way to put this into words. "You haven't happened to have seen something that scares you recently, have you?"

She calmly gestures to the rocks. "They're hallucinogenic, aren't they?" I blanche in surprise. "How.......how did you know?" She grins, before she explains. "My great grandmother was a Quaesuaspontologist. She dedicated her life to studying these rocks." If this sentiment were to make me feel less confused, it hadn't worked. "There's an actual term for studying the rocks?" She nods, laughing. "Uh-huh. These rocks have been around for centuries. Hundreds of people have deconstructed their atom structure by this point."

My eyebrows raise. "Huh. I'm friends with an alchemist as well as a.........um.......kale-est-pseudo-toly.....uh.......thingy." Ivy giggles. "It's pronounced Kway-Sua-Spon tologist, Violet." I nod. "Ah. Okay, I think I've got it........" Before I shake myself slightly, trying to pull myself back to the main point. "But still, these rocks cause a reason for great concern. Something that brings people's greatest fear to life?? That's going to be a problem."

Ivy nods in agreement, as she curiously inquires, "What do you think we should do then?" I chew the inside of my lip, as I ponder. "Varian and I have been studying the rocks in the little time that we had. We came here, to New Corona, to warn the princess, but......." I decide to leave out the part about my meltdown in the village square. ".......Ruddiger got away."

She frowns for several minutes, before nodding. "Okay. I'll help you find this raccoon, under the condition that you take this." As she says this, she pulls out an embroidery thread, about the size of her index finger and holds it out to me. I take it, and hold it aloft, unsure what to do with it. "Uh.....thanks."

Seeing my puzzled expression, she elaborates. "It's no ordinary thread, Violet. It's enchanted with a simple protection spell, this one specifically for the mind. If you experience any hallucinations, just pull the thread, and you'll feel better." My eyes widen, as I now understand the significance of the gift. "Thank you!" I gasp, before she continues. "Be careful though, the magic in it is relatively weak, you can only tug it so many times before the magic fades. So use it wisely."