The Corpse Hunter opened his eyes to find Lady Edevane kneeling over him. He rubbed the side of his temple where his head had struck the ground after he collapsed. The last thing he remembered was injecting himself with the contaminated blood of the alleged murder victims. Glancing down at his wrist he saw that the syringe was still embedded in his arm.

"I'm going to use some context clues to say the blood was in fact poisoned," the Corpse Hunter said.

"That would be a wise observation," the red haired woman replied.

"How long did it take to put me on my backside?"

"The effects were almost instantaneous. Loss of consciousness, labored breathing, and muscle paralysis set in the moment the chemicals in that blood entered your body," Lady Edevande said.

"Were you able to find out what was in the poison?" Aiden asked.

"Puffer fish toxin, poison tree frog secretions, giant centipede venom, and Green Dragon’s blood."

"That last one isn't easy to come by. Dragons only spawn on Dungeon floors above level fifty."

"Indeed, which means we're dealing with someone that is either very capable or very well connected."

"What do you intend to do with this newfound information?" the Corpse Hunter asked.

"I will make a list of which floors have spawned Green Dragons so far this month. Once that has been narrowed down I can look into which Ascenders have cleared those floors and had access to the dragon's blood," the Martinet announced.

"Sounds like a tedious but practical approach," he said with a nod as he stood up from the ground.

"What were your plans?" Lady Edevane asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm going to scare the hell out of some alchemists. Regular ones, not the Organic type," the Corpse Hunter said as he looked at the woman with the Organic Alchemist Fate.

When the Corpse Hunter left the Ascension Academy his Familiar landed on his shoulder. Aiden gave the Ethereal vulture a few scratches under the chin as he strolled along the sidewalk. It was late evening by this point and the artificial sun of the Column was just beginning to set.

"Time to ask a few pointed questions," the Corpse Hunter said to his bird.

Their first stop was a fancy two story building made of stone with a large sign that read, "The Brewer's Bastion." Its interior was an immaculate collection of neatly placed bottles, jars, and boxes. Each container held a variety of ingredients that included brightly colored plant roots, glowing liquids, and a large quantity of monster parts. When the man in gray moved over towards the monster parts selection the owner appeared from another room.

"Sir, the only animals allowed within my store are the ones whose parts you are looking at. Please kindly leave your bird outside," said a handsome man with short blonde hair. His tone, while polite, sounded vaguely condescending.

When the man in gray turned to face the shop owner his demeanor immediately changed. The smile faded, his shoulders drooped, and he took two steps back.

"Oh," the shopkeeper said with audible surprise. "What brings the Corpse Hunter to my fine establishment?"

"I'm looking for something rare, something expensive," the man in gray said as he walked up to the shop owner who had backed himself up against a shelf.

"Certainly," the other man replied nervously. "You've come to the right place if you're looking for rare ingredients. What might you be looking for?"

"Dragon's blood, specifically from a green dragon."

"I am sorry to say that I am all out of dragon blood at the moment. Might I interest you in some Manticore blood? It's a viable alternative for many potions and ointments that call for dragon blood."

"Who came to you looking to buy a large quantity of dragon blood?" the Corpse Hunter asked.

"I didn't say it was one individual, I merely said that I was sold out," the shopkeeper said as beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"You can tell me now or I can pull the answers out of your corpse. I would assume you have a preference in how you resolve my questions but I assure you I will be satisfied either way." The Corpse Hunter stared straight through the man as he spoke.

"Ok fine! It was Edgar!" the man shouted in a high pitched voice.

"Who is Edgar?"

"He's my on again, off again, on again...business partner. He runs Edgar's Enhancements."

The Corpse Hunter turned and walked towards the door without a word. With a deep sigh the storekeeper adjusted his vest. "My what beautiful amber eyes he had, terrifying but beautiful."

"Well that was straightforward enough," Aiden said to his feathered friend outside the store.

Vagrant squawked in response.

"I agree, usually when you're trying to track something down you have to go through every lead before something useful comes up. We got it on the first try this time."

Where the Brewer's Bastion had a well maintained storefront, tidy interior, and neatly stocked shelves, Edgar's Enhancements was the complete opposite. It was also on what most folks would refer to as the “sketchier” side of the city. Many of the nearby buildings appeared to be warehouses that saw little use and the streets had no traffic when Aiden had walked them. Rather than tables and display cases the shop used empty crates and scrap wood to display its goods. Most of which was lightly coated in dust.

The shop’s counter was just an old door that was placed atop two stacks of cinder blocks. Behind the counter was a lone figure sitting in a dark corner. Evidently they weren't interested in illuminating the entire store as they only had a few candles set out near the merchandise.

"Are you the owner of this shop?" the Corpse Hunter asked the individual behind the counter.

"I'm Edgar, yeah," a male voice replied. "What do you need?"

"Dragon's blood, specifically from a Green Dragon."

"Does it look like I carry dragon blood? Try somewhere else."

“The owner of Brewer’s Bastion said you carry dragon blood. People aren’t known to lie to a Corpse Hunter,” said the man in gray as he walked up to the counter.

“Finneas told you that?” the figure in the corner said.

“If that was his name, then yes he did.”

Rising from the shadows stood a man a full head taller than Aiden and made entirely of muscle.

“So you’re telling me that you went and intimidated my boyfriend. Then you thought you could come into my store and do the same to me?”

The massive store owner rolled up his sleeves showing off his absurdly large biceps.

“Well that was that plan,” Aiden admitted as Edgar flipped the table over and charged him.

Both men went crashing through a large wooden crate that shattered beneath their weight. It was rare that someone had the courage to face off with the Corpse Hunter. He could often rely on the merit of his Fate and the fear of the other Column Dwellers to get by as needed. What he hadn’t accounted for was the anger of an “on again, off again, on again…business partner.”

Aiden was having flashbacks of fighting the hulking gorilla back in the Dungeon as the hulking human tried to pin him to the ground. Wishing he had a Speed Potion he was forced to use what he had around him instead. The Corpse Hunter grabbed a piece of broken crate and smashed the storekeeper in the temple with the wooden plank.

As the plank shattered on the other man’s head it gave Aiden just enough of a pause to slip out from under the man’s grasp. He didn’t have his usual assortment of weapons and accessories that he carried with him in the Dungeon. Armed with little more than a ceremonial silver dagger he looked about the shop for something else to use.

Unfortunately for the Corpse Hunter he had underestimated Edgar’s ability to take a chunk of wood to the face. The store owner picked him up and threw him into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Aiden crashed through the wooden shelves full of small metal tins before falling onto the floor. As Edgar approached the man on the ground he cracked his knuckles and picked up one of the large cinder blocks that had been holding up his countertop.

Holding the block above his head the storeowner prepared to slam it down upon the Corpse Hunter. Before he could though a vulture swooped down and began pecking at his face. Edgar lost his grip on the cinder block which fell on his foot causing the large man to shout in pain.

“Thank you Vagrant!” Aiden called out to his feathered friend.

He then grabbed one of the metal tins nearby and proceeded to rub the ointment into his skin. The Corpse Hunter wasn’t certain what the effect was but he didn’t have to be picky and could use any advantage in this situation. As the ointment took effect the dim room took on a bright green hue, it was a night vision enhancement.

With Edgar still fighting against the Ethereal vulture Aiden raced about the room putting out the handful of candles that barely illuminated the interior. The store owner tore the bird from his face and slammed into the ground. Vagrant gave out a loud squawk as its bird-like form turned into stardust, much to the surprise of the man that had just thrown it.

“Up until now I was merely inconvenienced. Now I’m pissed off!” Aiden shouted from the darkened room as he snuffed out the last of the candles.

As the vulture faded from existence the room grew dark and Edgar looked about his small shop nervously. Had he just released some sort of curse for killing the strange magical creature? He wasn’t sure, though he was fairly sure the sudden pain in the back of his head was from the fist of the bird’s owner. The store owner turned to face the opponent behind him but the cinder block on this foot caused him to stumble.

An uppercut met the stumbling man’s jaw as Aiden slammed his fist into it from the cover of darkness. Edgar’s Jaw was almost as hard as the cinder block though and The Corpse Hunter could already feel the bruises forming on his fist.

“Fuck,” Aiden said as his the knuckles of his right hand started to numb.

“Got you!” the muscular store owner replied, grabbing towards the sound of the other man’s voice.

Two huge hands grabbed the Corpse Hunter by the collar and chucked him through the front window of the small store. The large gray overcoat protected the majority of Aiden’s body from the glass shards that were sent flying through the air along with himself. After tumbling into the street he reached into his pocket for a potion he’d snatched from the shop prior to literally being thrown out of it.

Inside the glass vial were swirls of red and green liquid which he chugged despite the less than pleasant taste. The potion took effect immediately causing the muscles of the man in gray to pulse with a sudden rush of strength. The Corpse Hunter stood up and brushed the shards of glass off his overcoat as the storekeeper stepped through the shattered remains of his shop’s window. Both men rushed towards one another and met in the middle of the cobblestone street like two waves colliding in the ocean.

Twenty minutes later both Aiden and Edgar sat on the ground trying to catch their breath. They were leaned up against the wooden storefront of Edgar’s Enhancements on opposite sides of the large patch of broken glass. Welts and lacerations covered the bodies of both men as they waited for their second wind.

After a long pause Edgar spoke up. “Sorry I killed your bird.”

“I can bring him back. Sorry I trashed your store and harassed your…business partner? Boyfriend?” Aiden replied.

“He’s both, Finneas just doesn’t like titles,” the muscular man replied. “He likes things to be all tidy and easy to categorize. Says titles are too…what’s the word…convoluted.”

“Everyone dies in the end and that’s the only facet of their life that concerns me,” the Corpse Hunter replied.

“I may have taken things a bit too far,” Edgar admitted. “Finneas isn’t the kind of guy to stand up for himself. So I try to be tough enough for the both of us.”

“Were you planning to kill me with that cinder block earlier?” Aide asked.

“No, I was just going to break one of your legs.”

“How thoughtful of you,” the man in gray said with a bemused tone.

“Like I said, maybe I went too far.”

“You’re not the first Column Dweller to react the way you did when I’ve come asking questions about their loved ones. Though usually their loved ones are already dead when I get that sort of fanfare,” Aiden said.

“You trying to make me feel guilty?”

“Well if it’ll help your conscience you can answer my question. What did you do with the dragon’s blood you purchased from your partner?”

“You promise to leave Finneas alone if I tell you?”

“So long as you both remain among the living you won’t be bothered by my presence again, you have my word.”

“I used it in the Rage Potions I was working on.”

“Were those the ones with the red and green swirls?”

“Yeah,” Edgar confirmed. “Red Dragon’s blood and Green Dragon’s blood are the main ingredients. Makes the hits you land twice as hard and the ones you take half as painful.”

“I drank one right about the time you threw me out into the street. I can vouch for their effectiveness,” the man in gray said earnestly.

Edgar let out a laugh followed by a light groan as he held his ribcage. “Finneas hired a Wind Talker that warned me you were coming. So when you walked in through the door I drank one too.”

Both men shared a laugh followed by more pained groans from the wounds they’d given one another.

“So you used up all the dragon’s blood for the potions?” Aiden inquired.

“Yup. I uh…kinda fucked up the first batch and burned through more blood that I expected.”

“Damn,” Aiden said reluctantly. “Guess I followed the wrong lead afterall.”

“Just cause I look like a scary asshole doesn’t mean I am one,” Edgar said.

The Corpse Hunter smirked. “You’d think if anyone knew what it means to be judged by their appearances it’d be me, yet here we are.”

“You’re not so scary,” Edgar said.

“I am an asshole though,” Aiden admitted, causing both men to chuckle again.

As their conversation teetered towards its inevitable end they both rose to their feet.

“Now that I think about it, there was someone that came by a few days ago. Asked if I had any Dragon’s blood for sale,” Edgar said while pulling a splinter out of his temple.

“What kind of dragon’s blood?” Aiden asked as he pried a piece of glass out of his wrist.

“Green Dragon’s blood.”

“Do you remember what they looked like?”

“Not really, my store’s usually pretty dim.”

“I noticed,” Aiden said.

“They left a card though,” Edgar replied. “Told me to contact them if I got any Green Dragon’s blood in.

“You still have that card?”

“Yeah it’s inside the shop.”

“While you’re looking for the card, do you have any of those Rage potions left?”

Edgar looked at the damaged storefront and the trashed interior of his shop.

“I can see what survived the fight,” the muscular man said with a sigh.

He walked into the store and held the door open for the Corpse Hunter to follow him inside.