Alchemical Augmentations: A Growth Story

The door of the shop slowly creaked open, revealing a young woman in her early to mid twenties, wielding an outfit that was quick to grab the alchemist’s attention. The lady was dressed in scarlet, from bottom to top, wearing a silky and in the incoming daylight somewhat shimmery dress with a skirt reaching all the way down to her boots, and an upper half gently fitting to her slim yet obviously pleasant frame. It did so accenting her athletic waist and lightly widened hips, just as well, as the shape of her C cups that happened to be somewhat put at display by the rather uncommon cut of the cleavage, the dress having one hole that basically highlighted the inner curvature of the woman’s boobs. If it wasn’t like that, it might as well served as a nun’s attire, as it lacked most design elements that the nobility tended to wear, only containing a few golden symbols sewn in it here and there, mostly by the edges. But that aspect of the robe, along with its clearly flagrant colour was the root of a clear separation, and it made Rizzik all the way more curious of the whole of the customer. Especially since the robe in itself wasn’t the only thing the woman wore. No, it was accompanied by a pitch dark cloak, one resting on her shoulders, and more importantly on her head, covering most of her facial features, with only her heart-shaped chin and curling fiery strands that reached all the way down to her chest. It was a rather inconvenient cloth to wear as the sun was at its peak, in the middle of summer. Yet for some odd reasons, the woman was wearing it, and she only decided to take off the hood now, that she stepped inside.

“Master Rizzik?”, the man was greeted with a zephyr-like, silent, yet determined and somewhat tender or at the very least pleasant voice, just as the intruder swiped back her hood, revealing a pair of violet eyes, inspecting him with a fair amount of suspicion, but seemingly no harmful or rude thoughts behind. Around her neck, the woman was wearing a necklet made of what looked like amethysts, with the skull of a rat as its pendant. There was a satchel hanging from her shoulder, the bag slightly open to reveal what looked like candles. On the left side of the woman’s face, a scarlet tattoo of what looked like a snake and some hearts where visible, the bloody paint starting of by her eye and moving down her cheek all the way to her jaw.
“In person…”, the alchemist said his answer with a hint of intrigue gleaming in his eyes, and he couldn’t help but take a comment on the woman’s appearance.
“That’s one interesting tattoo there, my lady. Forgive me, but I have a feeling you aren’t from the town of Durmrin. May I ask your name?”
“Your eyes are not lying, master. I came from the other side of the kingdom, even further than Bradshire. Your name and reputation became quite famous and significant throughout the country, and I am here in hopes that you might just be the right person to help me…”, and here, she involuntarily let go off a confident and somewhat satisfied smirk, as she took notes of the way the elder man’s expression softened and shone up with pride and joy. Some people were just too easy to manipulate.
“Speaking of names, they call me Arthea, but I doubt that you have ever heard about me before. It’s not important…”, and while she talked, the woman approached Rizzik, who being a short man himself, actually had to rise his gaze slightly as Arthea’s 5’9 frame reached him. The woman gazed in his eyes innocently, but her following words weren’t so pure.

“Alchemist Rizzik, forgive me but I have heard rumours. Rumours about your methods, and rumours about your clients… I spent the last couple of days in Durmrin, and among many whispers, I have heard one that in special raised my attention…”, Arthea fell into a short silence as her pupils ever so slightly became wider with eagerness now, as she built eye-contact with Rizzik. The purple irises glimmered, just like the tattoo on her cheek.
“The folks claim that you were recently sought out by Lady Ravenwind about a sort of beautification elixir…Is it true?”
Rizzik remained silent for long, long seconds. He was hesitant about what was wise to tell, and what wasn’t. He had a feeling this stranger was here for the potion, but how could she get information of it in the other half of the kingdom? And how did the townsfolk even know about the visit? The alchemist’s situation was by no means eased by Arthea’s closeness. The woman must have used some strong perfume before as she was surrounded by an aura of lavender. The fragrance filled his nostrils…
“I was indeed visited by Her Eminence this week. But I am afraid I can’t tell you anything about her demands. A good craftsman always keeps the privacy of the customer… However… I do indeed possess a beautification elixir…”, the man added on a rather shivery tone as he found himself more and more lost in the woman’s fragrance and lively violet eyes. His efforts were rewarded by a look of enthusiasm from Arthea’s side.
“May I take a look at it?”, she asked in the form of a sultry whisper. She was very well aware of the difficulties that her ignorance of personal space had on the merchant. It was time for her to push the advantage.

“F-Follow me…”, the man nodded leading the mage, as he concluded her identity must be, upstairs, all the way to the vial containing the pink potion. He failed to notice the commotion he previously caused, even though the mess didn’t bypass Arthea’s attention.
“Here it is…”, he said raising the bottle up in the air, though keeping it firmly in his grasp. “But it’s not for sale.”
“Is it not? Now that would certainly be a shame…”, and although her expression remained unchanged, the woman actually came prepared for this option. But first, her gaze was fixed on the elixir, her eyes trembling with grace as she sensed a strange, powerful and most importantly, erotic aura emanating from the liquid.
‘It’s just what we are looking for…’, she thought her hand involuntarily moving to her satchel, fingers tracing one of the candles