Page 7 of Roverpowered 6

Wanda had a few seconds to scoop Wumble back up and feel the sweet comfort of relief before a different voice exploded like vengeful thunder. “What do you think you are doing?”

NINE

The deck was loud, confusing, and smelly, but Wumble was able to figure out one thing very quickly: he did not care for the spindly man with the parrot who was raising his voice at Wanda. An urge to leap onto the wizard’s chest and send him careening toward the edge of the ship was halted by Wanda’s arms tightening around Wumble’s mid-section. As usual when stressed, Wanda was turning to him for comfort, and Wumble couldn’t bear the thought of breaking away from her.

Not yet, at any rate.

“She was… injured,” Wanda managed to mumble out.

“Of course she was injured. That is the very reason we were negotiating payment for my services as an alchemist. The potion we were working toward a fair price on is now rendered worthless by your unwarranted interruption.”

Wumble knew his wizard well enough to recognize the wrinkling of her brow that confusion had taken hold. Ordinarily, that would likely pass, but with all things alchemical, Wanda could be obsessive on understanding. Enough to even overcome her shyness, though briefly.

“But potion prices are standardized by the Union. We had to learn that in our orientation course.”

The parrot-wizard’s eyes widened. “So you’re a fellow alchemist. Then this isn’t rudeness, it’s downright theft. Stealing another alchemist’s client mid-negotiation is highly frowned upon, as I’m sure you know.”

“Oh, shove your nonsense over the plank, and your overpriced potions along with it.” The pilot had finished drinking Wanda’s potion, and flexed her left arm, twisting it back and forth then wiggling her fingers. “Goodness, what grade of potion was that?”

“Just Grade One. I’m only an Apprentice Alchemist, that’s all I’m certified to make.” When asked about alchemy, Wanda’s words flowed wonderfully. Wumble wished his wizard felt the confidence to always speak so freely, though she’d already begun piping up a fair deal more frequently since joining her team.

The pilot fixed Wanda with a curious gaze before nodding and digging in her pocket. “All your certified for, I get it. Makes sense. No sensible organization would let you charge for higher grades until you’ve got the right credentials backing your work. Well then, here’s ten gellen for the potion, and ninety gellen as thanks for giving me a chance to tell this jerk to go take a hike.”

She handed over a stack of coins to Wanda, who accepted automatically, even as she protested. “You… you don’t really need to.”

“I absolutely do. Never let it be said that Kettlin the pilot doesn’t pay what’s owed.” Kettlin shifted her gaze to the other alchemist, who was notably more red in the face than before. She said nothing, only fixing the man with a long, lingering smile that Wumble recognized as a predator’s grin.

Wumble decided that he liked Kettlin. However, his disdain for the parrot-wizard was rising rapidly.

Not that the man seemed to notice, as his patience broke in one swift instant, flailing and shouting for all to hear. “This is theft, do you hear me? Outright thievery and collusion. Mark my words, young lady, the Alchemist’s Union will be hearing about this incident.”

“Juthan, you’re one to talk about thieving, demanding five hundred gellen for a Grade Two potion.” Kettlin leaned slightly forward, imposing the shadow of her substantially larger frame over the slender parrot-wizard. Having bears as one’s familiar apparently came with a lot of additional might, a boon Wumble could certainly respect, even if he wished she’d do more than use those muscles to posture.

Wanda’s grip had only grown tighter as the fighting continued, and so Wumble nuzzled the side of her head to help her relax. One way or another, this would all work out. Wumble just needed to be strong enough.

“We are in an emergency situation. Potions have become a precious commodity, practically irreplaceable with the rudimentary facilities on board. It is perfectly natural that their price rises by a premium that reflects such value.”

Juthan looked down the length of his stubby nose at Wanda. “Not something that an Apprentice Alchemist understands, clearly. But I will ensure you are properly censured and educated for this theft, I promise you that.”

“That was a deeply foolish promise to make.”

Wumble wiggled in Wanda’s arms, turning his head just enough to spot Lenar and Karlisle. Tight as the crowd had clustered around the show, they were still willing to part when a tiger strode through. Lenar was almost hard to recognize from his face. Wanda’s fellow Apprentice Alchemist generally kept a detached expression in place at all times, one that was utterly absent at that moment.

In place of Lenar’s usual calm was a barely restrained fury that would have looked at home on Karlisle.

Even his walk was slow and deliberate, like jaws waiting to snap shut. “The etiquette for negotiation doesn’t become relevant until selling potions that are Grade Six or higher. Until then, all prices are standardized by the Alchemist’s Union, exactly as Wanda stated. Charging five hundred gellen for what has to be the worst Grade Two potion I’ve ever laid eyes on is bad enough on its own.”

Lenar took another step forward, and Karlisle followed, a low growl rumbling in his throat. “But as you said, this is an emergency situation. Which means you are also guilty of emergency profiteering, a crime that is considered far more serious to the Alchemist’s Union.”

Although Juthan had gone from red in the face to notably pale, he still refused to back down. “I hope you don’t expect everyone to take the word of some newly bonded wizard over my own expertise.”

“I may be newly bonded, but you are certainly not the expert between us.” Lenar reached into the pocket of his robes, hesitating until his gaze swung over to Wanda. His features tightened, and his hand emerged holding some sort of medallion with an ornate picture of a plant on it.

“Proof of lineage. You see, my full title is Apprentice Alchemist Lenar Umfries. If that surname sounds familiar, it would be because my grandfather is the head of the Alchemist’s Union.”

TEN

Wanda wasn’t really sure what the medallion in Lenar’s hand or his name signified aside from having a connected grandfather, but the way Juthan stepped back like he was considering making a run for it gave her some added context. Clearly the name carried some sort of authority, enough to scare the parrot-wizard into forgetting he was atop a ship in the sky with nowhere to flee.