Night had arrived quickly, sooner than she first expected that it would have been. It was ironic really, that the fact that on this, perhaps the first night in which she found herself sleeping in a bed that was not in an alley; opting to stay at an inn rather than sleep in the alleyway using much of the funds from which she had acquired from the first job she had taken earlier today, it was a welcome change of things. However though, there was something that was a great deal off about the whole scenario, the whole set of circumstances behind this. It was welcome, it was nice, it was different, and perhaps that was what was more shocking to her than anything else.

She wasn’t used to having a nice bed, not for what seemed like years really, not since she had been living at home with her sister in Hargeon Town. However though, that had long since passed for her, and now it had been more a case of her spending time doing whatever she had to to survive, even if that meant that she was forced to sleep on the streets, which in Era had been pretty frequent. However, not tonight. She had her own bed. She was able to eat a full meal. As did her golem like companion, Geth, who had joined her in her trips up to this point, a sense of joy and happiness on the both of them as the night went and the two spent the money that they had acquired.

Perhaps it had been that she spent more than was what deserving to have been spent, but even then, it was a special occasion for both of them. But eventually, the efforts of today along with the two of them working and enjoying the fruits of their labor was taking a toll on them, to the point where they were both becoming quite exhausted. For what seemed like forever, they had stayed within the warm bed in their own private room within the tavern, but it was a challenge to fall asleep, as she constantly tossed and turned, her body greatly unfamiliar with sleeping in a full bed. It wasn’t so much that she didn’t enjoy it, because she did, but it did mean that there were more than a few moments that she sort of wished that it wasn’t as nice of a bed.

Eventually, she found herself utterly unable to get any sleep, opting to go out and take a walk through Era, to see what it was like. She had been in the city for a bit now, but in almost every circumstance otherwise, it had more been her walking around trying to find some place to stay the night. This time was different. She had a place to stay and there was no reason to think that she stood any real risk of losing it, or otherwise being forced to go back to old habits. Hell, if worst things came to another, she still possessed a great deal of jewels, enough to at least afford her and Geth a place to stay at one of the nearby taverns, if only for a short bit. A young woman like her, without the terrifying Demon Slayer scars which once afflicted the majority of her body, there was little reason to think that she would be turned away now. Geth may have been something that was of concern, but she didn’t worry to greatly about that, as the creature – if anything else – would serve to be an interesting thing that would perhaps attract customer than even the cheapest discounted drinks.

It had maybe been about an hour or so that the two of them had been walking, having the chance to appreciate what was going on within the city in night. It was a different animal to some degree, like that of reading a story and coming to appreciate it rather than that of a book that was missing pages. For her, that was what this was, she was seeing Era without the missing pages. The beauty to it, these were of the things in which one was able to really appreciate more than anything else, and that was something that she couldn’t help but marvel at.

She wasn’t quite sure as to when it was that the thing approached her and Geth, but it must have been for a bit. Because once she had seen the creature approach and make contact with her, gently tapping the young Dragon Slayer on the back, Leyaria noticed that the scent was something that seemed familiar, as if it had been something that she had been smelling for a great while. While it sort of marveled her, both the fact that this creature was able to essentially evade her detection, but also that she had failed to notice her. Neither were very good to admit, and as such, she couldn’t help but find herself a bit more defensive than perhaps warranted. This creature had been following for her a bit, and that had to be for a purpose, rather than just by chance. If it were there to rob her, then it would have made an effort beforehand, but that it didn’t, she had to believe – or perhaps at the very least hope – that the creature was friendly.

“May I help you?” Leyaria asked, her words quick and quiet, as to neither draw a great deal of attention while at the same time ensuring that she made it clear that the creature was not particularly desired right now. Not out of some racial bias, but rather out of the nature at which it had approached the woman. Had it not tried that, then perhaps Leyaria would be a bit more receptive to things than she was right now.

“My apologies for sneaking up on you. I would have contacted you earlier, but I was a bit concerned as to disturbing you,” the creature spoke eloquently, far more than what Leyaria expected of it. “Nor did I wish to worry your companion here. I was wondering though if you would be able to provide some assistance to Era and to the Magic Council.”

The idea wasn’t the most receptive to Leyaria, but at the same time, she realized that as soon as the creature said Magic Council, there wasn’t much of a choice that she had. This person could have had ties to the Magic Council, could have been bluffing, but could have known about her, about what she had done. It wasn’t a risk that she could afford to take. She nodded weakly, a faint acknowledgement that she was going to help this man and the group he supposedly worked for.

“Thank you! I assure you, this will not be too terrible of an assignment, but the fact is, we find ourselves in a bit of a bind. You see, there are a few reports of a wild wolf that appears to be reports of a wild wolf that has been seen within Era, even just recently. We had attempted to bring it down, but it has already claimed the lives of at least 2 guards, and well, it’s not something in which we can afford to further and further sacrifice lives for.”

Leyaria stopped the man right there, hoping to be sure of just what the man was asking of him. “So, instead of risking any more lives of the Magic Council, you instead decide to hope that I will kill this creature for you instead?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Of the people I have found, you appear to be the most capable of them, and really, as I have said, time is of the essence.” The creature was clearly concerned over this whole thing, and Leyaria realized that this would mean that the reward was certain to be even greater than that of what it might have been otherwise.

“So then, I take out this wolf and you pay me. I take it that’s what you’re proposing, correct?”

“I have no intent on leading you to your death without making sure that you are wholly and appropriately rewarded for your service. The pay will be more than sufficient, that much I can assure you!”

With reluctance, Leyaria took the job, knowing that the sooner she found this wolf, the better. Not only due to the pay, but also the fact that if this wolf may have gotten more of the people in the city, the Council may have viewed this as a failure on her part, and therefore hold her accountable for any further deaths. Fortunately, if it had killed two people only recently, it would very likely still have the blood scent of the bodies, a scent which she had become somewhat used to, but hopefully was becoming less and less used to as time went on and moving forward. For the first sveral minutes and first handful of blocks, there was no success whatsoever, no indiciation that a wolf had even travelled through these parts, let alone having hunted here.

It wasn’t until she had turned a corner that she noticed something different, a scent of blood. It was faint, but it was recent, and the trail was there, going down the alleyway as though it was leading her right there in fact. Following it, she proceeded with caution; if this wolf could have taken out two members of the Magic Council, who was to say that it couldn’t try to lure out someone else, perhaps another one of them. She hoped that the fact that she could sense the blood would help, though as she got further, it became tougher to separate scents. After a short while, she heard something, something that sounded terrible. Picking up the pace as she moved further intot eh alley, she noticed a large wolf, far greater in size than what she could have originally expected or believed it to be, as it ate upon a body of a person, the faintest of screams coming out of their mouths, though little sound escaped as their neck had been shredded open, blood quickly overtaking the cobblestone that lay beneath it.

The wolf continued to eat away at the man until the sounds that escaped from its mouth finally stopped, leaving silence in the alleyway with the exception of both Leyaria, Geth, and the wolf itself. As she stepped forward, the wolf lifted its head and turned in her direction, snarling and wasting no time in rushing towards the young Dragon Slayer, moving at unbelievably quick speeds, faster than what a wolf should have been able to move at. Fortunatey for Leyaria, while she had been a bit surprised by the size of the wolf, she had gotten the drop on it, not the other way around, and as soon as the wolf had rushed towards her, she had already taken a deep breath and unleased a large blast of White Dragon Slayer Magic at him, thereby tearing outwards, ripping through the wolf, utterly eviscerating it as the life escaped it before its body even hit the ground. A point blank shot showed that Leyaria had torn through half of its head, ripping through half of the body, leaving what appeared to a very faint tunnel of emptiness in its place. Unfortunately, the man who had been attacked lay dead, there being nothing more that Leyaria could do for him.

Getting out of the alleyway as quickly as possible as to not draw any further attention to herself, given her Roar undoubtedly causing some commotion nearby, she left, hoping to find the man who had hired her sooner rather than later. She had done what had been asked of her, saved the city of Era and the Magic Council from more deaths, and was ready for the night, ready for a chance to sleep. And as an added bonus now, with the extra jewels she was expected to pick up from this man for doing the job, she could afford to spend a couple more nights in the inns around her as opposed to on the streets.

Word Count:
2032/2000
MP:
1475/1675

Name: White Dragon's Roar
Rank: A
Mana Cost: 200
Requirements: White Dragon Slayer Magic
Type: Offense
Element: Light
Range: 20 Meters
Cooldown: 4 Posts
Duration: Instant
Effect: Leyaria takes a deep breath as White Dragon Slayer Magic builds within her chest, being released as she exhales in an unrelenting blast - consisting of numerous layers of intense light energy - extending outwards 20 meters and having a width and height of 5 meter, dealing A-Rank damage to those struck by this blast or otherwise come into contact with it.