A sudden crash shattered the ambient noise of the marketplace, followed by the splintering sound of wood and the shattering of glass. The crowd nearby gasped, instantly parting to reveal a scene of chaos at a prominent nearby storefront.
A group of intimidating men dressed in matching black suits were violently tearing through the establishment. They kicked over tables, swept rows of carefully prepared vials onto the stone floor, and ripped down dried bundles of rare flora.
At the center of the destruction stood the shop's owner—the elderly herbalist widely regarded as the capital city's finest master of medicine. This was the very same old man who had recently consulted with Julie, the girl Maddy and Johnn had helped by securing the rare special bloom for her treatment.
One of the largest men in black suits grabbed the frail herbalist by his robes, shoving him back against a fractured shelf.
