Once they finally reached the commercial district, Violet found herself surrounded by a dense cluster of buildings, large and small, lining the entire street. There were goldsmiths and craftsmen, carpenters, sellers of fine fabrics and precious garments.
The street was crowded, and apprentices rushed everywhere, loading and unloading carts overflowing with goods.
"This city may be small, but it sure is busy…"
She walked into the crowd, trying to figure out where the shop she was looking for might be.
Suddenly, she felt someone bump into her.
A group of children ran past her without a care in the world, waving long wooden sticks as they sprinted along.
"Hey— geez, what's the rush?!"
Continuing on, she spotted a sign depicting a roll of fabric and a bottle.
"Pal's. Fabrics, Beer, and Spices."
When she opened the door, a tiny bell chimed to announce her arrival.
Inside, countless rolls of fine fabrics were stacked in a messy arrangement, and the display counters were cluttered with strange little jars. Violet leaned closer to read the labels:
Panic Pepper… Destiny Cumin… Opportunity Oregano???
At the back of the room stood a plump man with long mustaches and a peculiar hat topped by a small white feather.
"Welcome!"
He was stout, and his elegant, high-quality clothes were loose on him, giving him a somewhat comical appearance.
"I am Pal the merchant. Are you here to sell or to buy?"
Violet stepped forward, approaching the smiling man and placing the mission request on the counter.
"We're here for this."
The man examined the paper, then suddenly clapped his hands together, his face lighting up with a broad grin.
"Ooohhh! So someone finally answered my request! At last!!!"
His voice was high-pitched and carried a strange accent, and his gestures hinted at a certain refined flair.
"Yes. I'm Violet, and this is Nainai."
The man widened his eyes and leaned closer to inspect them, adjusting his mustache with a delicate touch.
"Let's see… a young mage and a dwarf? You two look just like real adventurers!"
Finally!
"But that dwarf… may I ask why he's tied up with a rope?"
"It's a long story. Anyway… the mission?"
"Oh yes yes yes, the mission. Now, where should I begin…"
Violet immediately sensed a long explanation incoming. The man adjusted his mustache again, eyes drifting into the distance as he began recounting.
"You see, some time ago I was traveling down a road nearby with my cart. Without realizing it, I hit a large stone that got stuck under one of the wheels, making the whole cart jolt and nearly throwing me off!"
Violet focused on his story.
"In that moment, I got quite the scare, you know? I almost lost control of my cart and imagined myself face-first in the dirt. A very, very unpleasant experience!"
"Yes… and then?" Violet kept listening.
"You see, I was transporting goods of great value: fabrics, spices, beer, and other expensive liquors. There was also a barrel of spirit-wine. A real delicacy, you know? A friend gave it to me, the one who—"
Oh come on, is he ever going to stop???
A twitch began at the corner of Violet's eye.
"The well… I'd like to know about the well."
"Oh, yes. The well. So, as I was saying…"
Violet began to tremble.
"So after the cart almost flipped over, a large barrel of spices fell to the ground and bounced. And alas, it rolled straight into that well…"
"And… you weren't able to retrieve it???"
The man grew somber, adjusting his mustache again.
"I tried, I truly did, but you see… that well is cursed."
"Cursed?"
A cursed well? Is that even possible?
"Yes. Unfortunately, the well is under a curse. Or a blessing? Oh dear, I never remember the difference."
"And what kind of curse are we talking about?"
Violet knew about curses—she'd studied them in her magic books.
"Well… you see… it has a terribly foul mouth!"
"A foul mouth? What do you mean, a foul mouth?"
"You see, miss, that well has a story…"
The man re-adjusted his mustache and resumed narrating.
"…Long ago, an old wizard who lived here in town was returning home after spending time at the tavern. You know… glug glug glug!"
Pal lifted a hand to his mouth, making exaggerated gestures that made it clear the wizard enjoyed drinking a bit too much.
"And he fell in?"
If so, it could be a case of possession. Maybe the wizard's spirit now haunts the well and prevents anyone from approaching…
"Oh… no no no, miss…"
Pal cut her off, continuing his tale.
"That wizard was an odd fellow, and he went around bragging about having created a strange potion. If I recall correctly, it was called Extract of Consciousness. Yes, yes. I'm quite sure that was the name."
"What's the point?" Violet, who had little tolerance for long-winded explanations, was clearly starting to lose her patience.
"Well then, let me think…" Pal muttered, adjusting his mustache yet again.
"…The man had the potion with him, in his pocket, you see. And that night he was so drunk that he stumbled, toppled over the edge of the well, and the vial slipped out of his pocket and fell straight into it…"
"And then???"
"Well, ever since that day, the well developed a personality of its own."
Violet's eyes widened.
"A personality?"
"Yes, my dear."
"The well…?"
"Exactly!"
Is he serious? I've never heard of anything like this… Is he messing with me too?
But the worried, earnest look on the man's face made her pause.
There had to be some truth to it—and the reward was high enough to justify the risk.
"That's it?"
"Yes, miss…"
"Where is this well located?"
Pal pulled a sheet of paper from under the counter and placed it in front of her.
"Here. I've marked its location on this little map."
It was a messy, almost childlike sketch. A few squares—likely the houses in the district—and a big arrow cutting across them.
"You see, that well has swallowed many things over time, and it refuses to return anything to its rightful owners. A true catastrophe…"
The man stared at her with eyes full of hope.
Violet considered her options. Cursed or not, a well was still just a well. What harm could it possibly do?
"Alright. We accept the mission!"
"Oooohhhh. Excellent. I'll be waiting here, then. Ah—there's one last thing…"
Violet stopped and looked at him.
"You see, as I mentioned earlier, that well has a terribly foul mouth. It will shout all sorts of nasty things at you if you try to retrieve the barrel."
Violet burst out laughing.
"It's just a well. What could it possibly do?!"
With that, she gave Pal one last look as he watched her leave with a worried expression.