[Salone]

"Wait! Wait!"

There was heaving and rumbling as a heavy body of fur and claws ran on all fours to catch up with the group. Panting as it came to a stop, the creature became bipedal as it stood up, snapping a clawed salute to its head.

"Dan Magnum reporting for adventuring duty!"

He let the salute fall, remembering he was no longer on active duty.

"Apologies for tardiness. Skaeye had me on grocery detail. I was shopping for potatoes and other legumes, and...the sweet potatoes, they were low in stock, and I went to reach for one, and..."

He shuddered, remembering in graphic detail what had happened.

"There was this woman. She reached for the last potato just as I did. I accidentally grazed her hand, but my claw cut through her skin. I, I think I nicked something. She sprayed streams of blood all over the stall, fountained all over my groceries. She coated that last sweet potato in her life's fluid. I tried to calm her, to assure her that everything would be okay, but she just kept bleeding. And screaming. Oh human gods, the screaming. The guards were surrounding us now. They had seen the accident, but it didn't matter. She was wounded and surrounded and animal instincts took over. She attempted to flee, but the guards pinned her down for her safety. That wild eye look of hurt prey witnessing its last moments, that was, that...was..."

He trailed off, rocking back and forth slowly as the events replayed through his head. After a moment he came to his senses, offering what appeared to be a damp knapsack.

"Grocery detail, all groceries freshly washed! No, er, blood!"