While in the bath a maid knocked and entered carding a platter of various fruits and set it down on the edge of the tub.

  “Hello mistress, it’s a gift from Chester I hope you enjoy, would you need anything else?”

  Sonna shook her head. Laying back her head while sprawled out in the bath. She watched the maid leave after bowing her head slowly. She ate a few pieces savoring the green apples and pieces of pear. Then she got out putting back on her damp robes without letting it or herself dry off.

  Exiting the room and returning down stairs while eating her treat. Her eyes darted back and forth looking at paintings of people she didn’t know, soft carpets covering wood floors, on a table was a jar full of purple petals. Her fingers brushed against the painting just moments from grabbing each one. On the couch Chester sat holding a letter, he looked awkward watching the water trail off of Sonnia in small puddles.

  “Ahh you look much more presentable…. I’m happy you are here. I’ll make the talking short. We need help. I am losing control of Lowmere, the plague which I am now dubbing the black roots is running untamed. We asked for help from the adventure guild and our own government, yet all we have gotten is troops to keep it contained. Leaving us isolated.”

  Sonnia sat down across from him eating slowly while listening to him rant. She rested her staff on her legs, she bounced a little on the couch.

  “Yeah the plague thing sounds icky. I was told by Freeg about it. It’s even creepier seeing it up close. I’m not a doctor though I can’t do much about it.”

  Chester stared at her wide eyed after she spoke, like her words had made a monster. He got up and ran to the table without hesitation then got his jar of petals and put one in his mouth chewing it. Then a purple glow enveloped him before fading. He took the jar with him and sat back down.

  “We can’t take any precautions, Freeg is a kind woman despite her nobility status she still tries to help everyone. I’ve managed to stockpile on her petals. The petals of her flower seem to fight off the plague, the magical properties of it are fantastic. Although it’s a quick heal sadly. She refuses to eat any more petals ever since the plague happened, so we keep her isolated in prison whenever she wanders into the quarantine zone. Though we don’t know how she keeps getting in.”

  Sonnia then finally spoke, hopping to her feet looking around at his home. His words bounced off her ears.

  “Okay that’s cool then. What am I doing here? I don’t want to be around you much longer, what’s my job? What’s my reward? Stop stalling please, I am bored sitting here, even worse you are ugly.”

  Chester held out his letter towards her. He shrunk into the couch, his posture shifted from comfortable to shy, he even took a breath in hiding his dad bod trying to appear thinner.

  “Right, well it’s simple, sorry. Ahem. You are an adventurer, ex adventurer or current it does not matter. You are experienced in dealing with issues. Help us figure out what’s going on. This isn’t a normal plague, Planar beasts have to be involved. Kill the source while we live our normal lives. The people dead and sick can’t be helped but we can protect the healthy. I’ll pay you handsomely for your rewards, even give you a home here if that’s what you want. Just save us, we are barely keeping it contained.”

  Sonnia thoughts started going all over the place. His mentions of reward almost made her salivate. Leaning in closer to him she asked a simple question.

  “How much is your precious life worth Chester? What you are asking isn’t cheap, I feel like I’m being cheated here. Stop the noble words, I am a big girl.”

  Chester sweated a little at her question as he looked to his side to a servant standing nearby. The man took a few steps back while holding something behind his back. Chester then continued talking more nervous.

  “What would you want for helping us? I’m sure there is something we can agree on. I’m in charge of taking care of the city while the real mayor is away. I have the power to grant big rewards to heroes of the city.”

  Sonnia’s eyes dazed for a second hearing her other voice speak. It annoyed her, she fought it off before she could hear the words, still her intent lingered in her mind. Sonnia shook her head.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Deal, I will be the hero of Lowmere and get money and a house.”

  She took the letter from Chester’s hand quickly. Tearing open the envelope revealed a contract two pages long. Without reading it she tore it in half scattering the papers off to the side.

  “You will give me what I want, when the mission is over. I don’t need a page of words to tell me that.”

  She got up leaving the room not paying him anymore attention but not before grabbing the jar of petals from his lap. Chester tried holding onto it with a firm grip but quickly lost the small game of tug of war.

  “Hey! I need those. They were not cheap to come by.”

  Sonnia continued on ignoring his plea, tossing the jar in the air then catching it.

  “I need them more, if I am going out there. Just hide in your house like a coward! You seem to be good at that already.”

  Chester looked like he wanted to say more but refused. He sat back on his couch holding his hands together.

  “Then at least you will help, I’ll take it as a win. Thank you Sonnia.”

  She opened the door and closed it behind her before he could finish talking. Hearing the door slam mid sentence he looked up at the ceiling, coughing a little.

  “I’ll hope you can save us then. If not, I'm gonna have a short career.”

  Outside Sonnia walked onto the grass of his estate looking at the jar of petals.

  “How do I even solve a disease? Would my powers even work on it? Then if they did, I’m stuck here. Boring. I’ll figure it out though. Sonnia? Any advice or input?”

  She waited but there was silence in her head. She tilted her head sideways.

  “Helloooooooo Paladin? I’m speaking to you. The more time we waste, the more people die. Isn’t that your big thing? Protect the people until.”

  Finally her voice popped up short and to the point.

  “We need to investigate the quarantine zone. It’s likely where it started.”

  Sonnia frowned and shook her head as she walked to the gate. The guards opened it, looking at her with a puzzled look as she continued talking to herself.

  “Noooooo, then we get sick and die. You are not dragging me into that. Errr nevermind I’ll figure it out myself.”

  She carried the jar with her whistling as she walked through the second level of the city, she waved sarcastically at the same guards who tried to ambush and trap her. Then reaching the stairs of the city she walked down to the streets of the first level. The city was relatively empty at night, Sonnia looked around then sighed.

  “This is all beneath me! I’m a fighter who can heal, not a doctor. This plague is too weird.”

  She continued walking through the streets, peering through windows of various buildings. Nothing interesting got her attention, empty homes. Occasionally she saw an item she wanted, but something inside her told her “don’t”. Still wandered through, in the distance a glow of fire illuminated, following led to a plaza. In it was a small group of people sitting around relaxing, exchanging drinks from a bottle. Some of them were cooking food on sticks. Sonnia approached with a warm smile.

  “Helloo can I join you all?”

  They nodded and a few got up creating a space for her to join. They were dressed in tattered rags and dirty hats, some of them were wearing mismatched shoes. One man who seemed to be in more clean conditioned clothes was first to speak.

  “Hello Miss and welcome to our small gathering. The city is a Hell hole but we have each other at least. Fancy a drink?”

  Upon saying it the bottle was passed to Sonnia who took a quick drink without hesitation. The taste was foul and crude. It was worse than any cheap alcohol that her spoiled taste buds had savored. Still she didn’t spit it out. She forced down the alcohol even as it tried to come back up.

  “This is nasty. Where did you find this? It’s like drinking piss from an abused demon covered in more piss. BLEH.”

  She made a sarcastic vomiting face before taking another sip passing it down and laughing. Her cheeks already started blushing. The group laughed at her joke in unison with one giving her a playful shove. The man in finer clothes spoke more as the bottle went around the circle.

  “Yeah well can’t be too picky when you're stealing from the trash now can we? I am Derrick. My official title is Homeless Derrick though, but enough about me. I heard a lot about you, Sonnia…you look pretty intact for taking a golem to the face. The whole city got word of your funny introduction, those guards deserved it though.”

  Sonnia giggled listening to him speak about her looking proud. When the bottle reached her again she took another sip.

  “Yahhhhh they were fun. Believe me though, I could've won if I wasn’t distracted by myself. Now I’m on a mission to save the town from the plague. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is.”

  The group all looked at her direction now as she talked; they all had input to share with Sonnia.

  “They say you can feel the roots crawling through your veins.”

  “There’s a cult that knows of a cure in the quarantine zone.”

  “The plague hates the flower, I know that for sure.”

  Sonnia listened and nodded her head. She thought of questions to ask and turned to Derrick.

  “What can you tell me about the plague Derrick? Oops I mean homeless Derrick. I have to solve this to be rich and get a big home from Chester. I want to get a ring made of sapphire."

  Derrick’s facial expression changed to a more serious face.

  “Chester, that idiotic man. He made all of this worse. He made the quarantine zone and threw a lot of people into it. Most of them didn’t even deserve it, they coughed at the wrong time and poof. Behind the golem wall you go. He is a scared idiot not a leader. He’s been bribing people into lying to Freeg for more petals. There's a whole black market for them now.”

  The small group of people listened, shaking their heads. Derrick looks at the fire, calming himself down.

  “Not much to say about the plague though. The first victim or least the first I know of was a halfling, he got a big payday and spent big. Then a few days later he was found with a whole boutique growing out of him. Then a week later another incident, then another. Freeg used her flower to combat it but by then it was too late. It pops up randomly, it’s not spread by touch, no way with how it pops up it’s something else.”

  Sonnia stared at him listening to him as he talked, she popped open her jar and pulled out a petal. Everyone stopped and stared, their eyes wide looking at the riches in her hand.

  “You all can have one if you want. I don’t mind, they taste bad anyway. Petals for all! Straight from Freeg herself!”

  She took a handful out and they were passed around each person getting one. Few instantly chewed on their they got hit with a temporary glow. The others kept their and stashed the petals away. Derrick looked at Sonnia, his eyes wide. He stashed his petal into his pocket.

  “How did you manage such a big stash? You are practically the richest woman in Lowmere by having that.”

  Sonnia closed the jar and put it at her side.

  “It was a gift from a weird man, I’ll give you another if I can have the rest of the alcohol. It’s growing on me.”

  Derrick looked at her confused and bewildered at her offer but threw the bottle at her with a light toss.

  “You are interesting. Have it you more than paid for it. I hope you do well Sonnia.”