The city carried on as if it were just another normal day, while Max and Enor continued searching for Moonlight.

  “A little white dragon?” the orc repeated, scratching his beard. “Dressed… like a maid?”

  Max nodded for the fifth time on the same block, teeth clenched.

  “Small,” he crified. “About this tall.” He gestured with his hand. “Runs fast. Bites.”

  The merchant looked at them for another second… then slowly shook his head.

  “No, sorry.”

  Enor had already moved on to the next person before Max could even sigh.

  “Excuse me,” she said, wearing a polite smile that failed to hide her urgency. “Have you seen a small girl, white scales, bright eyes…?”

  Nothing. Denials. Strange looks. An awkward ugh or two. The city that had seemed picturesque earlier now felt like a maze.

  “Moon…” Max murmured, more to himself than to her.

  “She couldn’t have gone far,” Enor said, though uncertainty seeped into her voice. “She’s small. And very noticeable.”

  They turned a corner… and ran straight into a wall of armor.

  “Ah,” said Gawain.

  Dangling from one of his arms was a small dwarf with a curly beard and a face painted like a clown. The dwarf kicked the air, hurling insults.

  Max looked at him. Then at Gawain.

  “Tell me…” he began, “do you have some weird fetish for carrying people around, or is this just a coincidence?”

  Gawain burst out ughing.

  “He tried to steal my bag,” he said, giving the dwarf a light shake. “Pretty agile for such a little guy.”

  “Let me go, you damn bird!” the dwarf screeched.

  Enor frowned. She checked her pockets. Her smile vanished.

  “…Max.”

  He looked at her.

  “One of my bags is gone,” she said quietly. “The one with the coins.”

  Gawain raised an eyebrow.

  “Now that you mention it…” He studied the dwarf more closely. “I was wondering why the little one traveling with you was getting along so well with this thief’s friends.”

  Max snapped his head up.

  “What do you mean Moon was getting along with thieves?”

  “Oh,” Gawain replied casually. “His friends were with her. Holding her hand, ughing. They went down an alley that leads straight to the circus. I thought they were just pying.”

  Enor closed her eyes for a second.

  “You’re an idiot,” she said, with a sweet smile and a perfectly measured voice.

  “I’ve heard worse,” Gawain replied with a shrug.

  Max stepped forward and pnted himself in front of the dwarf.

  “Why did you take the girl?”

  The dwarf turned his head away.

  “I’m not talking.”

  Gawain ughed.

  “No problem,” he said. “I’ve got a truth potion.”

  “Can I see it for a second?” Max asked.

  Gawain hesitated… then handed it over.

  “Hold him steady,” Max added.

  The dwarf ughed, spitting a drop of saliva.

  “I’m trained, brat. Not even a shitty potion will get the truth out of me.”

  Max looked at him. A curious smile spread across his face.

  “Oh yeah?” he said. “Then open wide.”

  He raised the potion.

  “And swallow.”

  The dwarf struggled for barely another second before Gawain pried his mouth open like a vise.

  “Rex,” the noble said. “This will be quick.”

  Max poured the potion.

  The yellow liquid vanished down the dwarf’s throat with a choking sound. He coughed. His eyes flew wide open.

  For a moment, nothing happened.

  Then Max saw the system notification. His skill activated, and the consumable’s effect was amplified.

  The dwarf stiffened.

  “Oh no…” he murmured. “Oh no, no, no…”

  His pupils dited. A shiver ran through his body.

  “I’m… I’m poisoned,” he said in a trembling voice.

  He blinked.

  “By the way,” he suddenly added, “the bird man is ridiculously sexy.”

  Gawain frowned.

  “What?”

  “The feathers,” the dwarf continued, speeding up. “The posture. When he hit me earlier…” he smiled dreamily. “I liked it. A lot. I’m jealous of the princess, I wish he looked at me like he does at her… And when he picked me up like that—strong… dominant…”

  “Shut up!” Gawain roared, furious.

  “I can’t!” the dwarf shrieked. “I can’t stop! This is horrible! I always hated the circus, but I love the smell of wet sawdust, and I steal because I’m afraid of tall clowns, and once I kissed a gnome thinking it was a woman—”

  Gawain went rigid.

  He looked at Max.

  He looked at the dwarf.

  “This…” he said slowly, “this is not normal.”

  “Oh,” Max replied calmly. “It’s a side effect.”

  “I like it when people yell at me!” the dwarf added. “And when you hit me just now I felt butterflies in my stomach!!”

  Gawain didn’t think twice.

  Thud.

  A single punch.

  The dwarf’s body went completely limp. Two teeth flew out and cttered across the cobblestones.

  At st, his mouth was shut.

  Max looked at the unconscious dwarf. Then at Gawain.

  “Perfect,” he said. “Thanks for the help. Now we can’t interrogate him.”

  Gawain shook out his hand.

  “It was for the good of everyone.”

  Enor sighed.

  “That won’t be necessary,” she said. “We already know where to go. We head to the circus and look for answers there.”

  Max nodded slowly.

  “First, let’s turn this in.”

  Gawain grabbed the dwarf by one leg and started dragging him along the ground like an old sack.

  ***

  In the pza, a guard turned when he saw them.

  “This clown was stealing,” Enor said naturally, pointing at him. “In the name of the crown, I request that you lock him up.”

  The guard straightened immediately.

  “For the princess, anything,” he replied. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t see the light of day again.”

  Gawain dropped the dwarf in front of him.

  “Good luck,” he muttered.

  Max decided to check the dwarf’s condition.

  [ Status: Poisoned ] [ Status Duration: 23:30 ]

  He chose not to say anything, knowing the guards would have to deal with that madness when the man woke up.

  Enor was already looking toward the alley that led to the circus.

  Moonlight was still out there.

  And time was running out.