"Male to Female reassignment potion? You gotta be kidding! We're delivering to fucking trannies!?"
"Dustin! I told you NOT to open the-" I stop my voice as I start processing what he had just said. "We're delivering gender reversal potions? To the transgenders? You're fucking kidding."
"That's what the label says! Fuck this. I'm not delivering this."
I can feel my brow crease as I pinch in between my eyes in frustration. "I don't like this either, but you aren't delivering it. I took the job, you just wanted to visit Steelsburg."
"But you'd be helping the trannies!"
"I know. I said I don't like it either, but it's a job. It's not a choice mate."
"I can't believe I just noticed it. This is the last stop. Do you think the big shipments to the shops were these potions?"
I sigh, grab the potion out of Dustin's hands, and look it over out of curiosity.
Near instant effect. The alchemy for this kind of thing was getting far too advanced. I sigh and make my way to the door.
"You're actually gonna give it over to the bastard who thinks he can get a free vagina?"
I give him a look. We were bickering all day for some odd reason and I was honestly just about done with him. I forgot we weren't good when together for long periods of time. But here we were, it was already night time.
"If it were my choice, no one would get it. If everyone could just change their gender everyone would do it, I mean who likes their body anyway? But they can't because it's unnatural and falls right into what the purple witch wants."
"Oh hell nah! Everyone would do it my ass. I'd never. That's gross as hell."
"Whatever you say. Just be quiet for this, okay?"
I knock on the door, the potion in my left hand. "Sir? Can you open the door? Potion delivery."
The door opens revealing the guy. He looked tired if anything. His long brown hair attempting to make him look feminine, but his face was obviously male. I guess it wouldn't last long though. Depending on the potion strength that is.
"Thanks." He gives a weak smile and holds his hand out.
I reluctantly hand it over, letting the potion fall into the man's hands. He seemed to be trying to hide a smile. Just pure happiness and excitement. But before he could go back inside, Dustin stepped in.
"Give me that." He grunted, swiping the round potion bottle out of the man's loose grip. "I'm not just going to just let this happen. The way things are, the purple witch will gain power over everything!"
"Dustin. Just let me complete the job and we can go home. Give it back to him, and I'll collect the money and we can be done. It's just one person."
"But this is what the purple witch wants! Her curse started out as one gay person here and there, but look how far it has spread! It's everywhere! Even the king supports it! We need to put a stop to it!"
I sigh and look at the distressed man. He had rage in his eyes, but his posture showed he wasn't going to do anything about the situation in front of him.
"Then we'll just have to stop the purple witch before it's too late." I swipe at the potion, but Dustin jerks his arm away, backing up a bit.
"Fuck that! I am not 'helping' a tranny, and I'm sure as not helping the devil's daughter!" And with that, he threw the potion down, the glass shattering on impact with the stone path, soaking both me and the man in the doorway in potion.
"Bitch! I'm going to have to pay for that now!" I turn myself and shove my fist straight into Dustin's face, knocking him straight to the ground. Normally I didn't react so harshly, but on top of bickering all day, now I also had to pay God knows how much for the stupid potion. "Jobs don't care about your beliefs. If you get a job that you can't do cause you don't agree with it, you get a different fucking job."
These types of potions were brand new. Most likely I'd have to pay upwards of 1,000 gold for it now. At least six months worth of rent. Even with as much gold as I built up with my work, it would set me back a long time searching for a new house.
"Motherfucker!" Dustin tries standing, seeming like he wanted to fight back, but by the time he gets to his feet, he stops. He knew he couldn't beat me in a fight.
I sigh and turn back towards the man, but the door was shut.
"Good. Now he'll have to wait even longer to fuck his body over" Dustin chuckles.
"Not good. Not good at all. You'll see for yourself how bad it is when you have to pay for the potion."
"Yeah yeah. I'll pay the ten silver, no worries."
"1,000 gold."
His eyes widened as I turned to him. "What?"
"1,000 gold. Probably more. These potions are new to the market."
"Nah nah. Fuck that. I'm not paying."
I grab his shirt collar and shove him against the door. "Should've thought about that before breaking such an expensive potion." My voice cracked.
"Can't threaten me when you sound like you're going through puberty again." He smirks as if he thinks our friendship would keep me from hitting him again. "Besides, your job pays well, does it not? You can pay for it in a day's work!"
"1,000 gold is half my savings from the last three years!" My voice cracked again, much worse this time.
"Hah! You sound like an 11 year old!"
I stare him down, trying to show I was being serious, but my hair somehow covers my vision.
"Yo what the fuck!?" I hear Dustin's voice getting distant as I start becoming disoriented. I let go of Dustin so I can sturdy myself against the wall.
My body started becoming numb with the only thing I could feel being a sharp pain in my gut. I felt like I was turning inside out. It seemed to last forever, but in less than an instant, it was over.
"S-Simon?"
I looked up to Dustin, shaking, and with hair in my eyes. I move it away and finally speak. "What did you do?" I tried asking calmly, but if anything, I felt scared. I thought I was about to die.
"I didn't do anything- I. I don't know, man. I think, like-"
"Spit it out."
"I don't know! Did the potion get into your mouth or something!?"
I stand straight up, not even noticing that I was leaning forward. But now I could notice the significant weight on my chest and the tightening in my leather armor. "No? What potion?"
"The gender potion thing!"
At that point it clicked. The potion was in a spherical bottle, meaning it was meant to induce its effect on touch, not on consumption.
"I rolled up my pants in the marsh." I muttered.
"Huh?"
"It wasn't a consumable. It was a skin effect potion. You threw it down and the potion touched my skin. You motherfucker."
Dustin backs up. He finally saw how serious I was.
"You turned me into a goddamn girl you piece of shit!" I struggle to take a breath as I step towards Dustin. It was hard to breathe.
"Chill dude! It was an accident!"
"Yeah, you threw that potion down on accident. Believable."
"No! I mean yes, but I didn't mean to change you!"
I sigh and glare at him. I was going to make him pay somehow, but beating him senseless wouldn't solve anything. For now, I just needed to deal with my breathing problem.
"Go to the cart, and wait. I'll be there shortly." I say sternly, pulling my flameshire dagger from it's holster.
"Okay, okay! Chill with the knife!" Dustin put his hands up and ran back to the now empty cart.
I sighed again, and used my weapon to slice through the leather straps keeping my chestplate in place. It dropped to the ground with a heavy smack. There was no way I'd get it off normally. It was way too tight.
"Damn that's better. I can breathe."
I take a deep breath and attempt to calm myself down, but realistically I wasn't that upset. The only thing to be upset about would be the money, but if the potion changed me, it most likely changed the customer too.
That was the only issue, right? No. Now I have to buy a new potion to change back, right? So thanks to Dustin, there is still a big issue. Way too much money.
"Jesus Christ." I mutter again. This is what I got for bringing that dumbass with me.
"Um. Knock knock, open up!" I stumble my way to the door, ignoring the way my voice resonated through the air. Who knew such a simple task like walking would be different. It was like I was drunk.
I knocked on the door a couple of times, hoping the guy inside would answer quickly. Of course the other side remained silent though.
"Please. I apologize for my friend and his rudeness, I just need to ask some things." I knock again, a bit louder.
Finally the door opened revealing what looked like the man's daughter if they were the same age. I knew it was actually him, though.
"What do you-" He seemed to freeze, probably realizing why I was knocking. "Oh. I'm sorry. I thought your voice sounded different..." He trailed off.
"Yeah. Didn't realize it was a soaking potion until it was too late. Anyway, I'm sorry you dealt with my friend, I made a mistake bringing him. And also sorry for the unprofessionalism, but can I ask a few questions, sir?"
Almost immediately his smile shrunk a bit. I could tell he was discussing whether or not to shut the door in his head. "Sorry. May I ask you a few questions, ma'am?"
He sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I guess. I know what dysphoria is like so forcing you to struggle through it because your friend is an ass. You may be transphobic but at least you're polite."
"Dysphoria?"
"You'll see soon enough. Just ask your questions."
"Okay, thanks! How much did the potion cost? Are the guy version's the same price? And do they even exist yet?"
"Unfortunately it was 2,000 gold, and I'm pretty sure the FTM versions don't exist yet. They do have a 12 month progression though! It's not nearly as fast but it can get you your body you grew up with back. That'd still be around the same price though, maybe a bit less cause it hasn't been around as long."
I kind of just let myself lose eye-contact, letting out a breath. "You're kidding."
"Unfortunately not. You'll probably also need to have six months with a therapist and a bit more than that, but since you're only like this because of your friend, you might be able to skip that step."
I bite my lip and nod, kind of just standing still in the doorway. "Thanks... I'm... gonna go talk to my friend now."
"You'll probably also going to need a bra whether or not you wait for the instant-effect or try the 12-month potion. Otherwise you'll be kicked out of shops and other public places. Anyway, I've been kind enough to you. Thanks for the delivery."
When the door shut I immediately sucked in yet another large breath of air. "Yo, Dustin!"
"What now?" He sounded aggravated as if he was the one who could be upset in this situation. Sure being punched wasn't all that fun, but neither was paying 2,000 gold.
"C'mere dumbass. I have something to show you. And no, I can't pick it up and bring it to you."
"Ugh fine. But lemme sleep on the way home, you gave me a major headache."
I pretended to look at something on the ground as he walked over. "Trust me, you'll get an amazing rest after this."
"What?"
"Well you know how that punch hurt? I think you bled."
"No fucking shit."
"You like blood?"
"What?"
"I hope so." Without a second thought, I raised myself up, planting another fist straight into his nose, this time using all my strength. This time though, when he fell backwards, I fell with him, losing balance from my punch. Using the momentum of the punch, I turn so I fall with my elbow to his chest.
"Ahhhg! What the fuck!"
Suddenly I feel a hard blow to my gut, pushing me off him. I throw my hands out slowing my fall. I still slam into the ground, but I push myself up before Dustin. I swing my leg across, knocking it against his head. He gets shot down, his shoulder cracking the brick as he hits the ground. He didn't even try getting up after that, but I could see him moving, so I knew he was okay.
I sigh again, taking a minor health potion from my pouch. "This is why I never take you on quests anymore, Dustin."
"Shut up."
I kneel down and hand him the prismic bottle of red. "I've known you for years and you never learn from words. No matter how many times someone tells you something, you will continue to go against their word. Hell this isn't just why I don't bring you with me anymore, it's also why you don't have a job."
"You don't have to beat me up over a stupid potion!"
"It was 2k fucking gold, Dustin. And there's not a male version yet meaning I'm going to be stuck like this for a long ass time because of you. If this were a job of yours, you would be fired. In fact, I'm lucky this is a poster job and I don't work for anyone, otherwise I would be fired. Do you understand how fucking serious this is? It could be fucking life-changing."
"You still didn't have to beat me up!" He had the rage in his voice to fight back like with his kick, but he knew he didn't stand a chance.
"Would you rather me bill you 2,000 gold for a new potion to change me back?"
"I...no..."
"Right, because you can't afford it can you? Your mom is the only source of income for your house, and it's not enough for anything but rent and food."
"I said shut the fuck up, Simon."
"Dustin. When will you grow up?" I look at him. I was angry as hell, but I also cared about him. He was my best friend. At least his wounds were healing.
"I am grown up."
"No, you're 15, yet you act like you're eight whenever you disagree with something. That's not how you handle things."
"Easy for you to say Mr. Success. You get everything you fuck-"
"Except I don't" I stare him dead in the eyes. "You know I've worked since before I was legally allowed to. I don't just get things. I fucking work for them."
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking-"
"I know. The fact I seem successful now seems unfair. I get it."
"Yeah..."
"Look, D. I'm sorry I punched you... Twice. I just don't know how to make you understand when something is serious. You alway laugh things off as if nothing ever happened. And a lot of times it backfires. Not on you, but it backfires on whoever else was involved. Like right now. Because of that, you never learn when you fuck up and-"
"No. I know that I fuck a lot of things up. I just don't know how to handle shit, man. It doesn't make sense. I don't know how to control myself and I don't know how to fix it."
"A lot of times no one does. Yet you have to try. Running away isn't an option. Not a good one anyway."
And here we were talking it out, like we should've from the start. I was being a hypocrite. I acted like a child too, letting my fists do the talking instead of my mouth like I should've.
"Thanks. Sorry." Dustin mutters as he finally lifts his head.
"Mhm"
"Hey," He said. "Get those things out of my face. It's gross, you shouldn't have them in the first place."
"What do you-" I look down and take notice to my chest for the first time. No wonder I kept losing my balance. My chest was heavy as hell. "Shit, my bad."
I stand back up, grabbing back the now empty potion bottle and pocket it. "Hop in the cart when you're ready. It's late and I still have to talk to the alchemist about payment and see if he knows an easier way to fix this."
"Alright. Just gimme a sec"