Thorn had been on quiet an adventure this past month. Got pissed at an old employer for not paying the woman her full dues. Might have made a bit of a mess out of his people. Was still pissed so when she was offered a job opportunity by a rival faction the mercenary had leaped at the chance to get back at her bastard of an ex-boss, particularly since the new one paid so well. Then lots of nicely paid sabotage happened making Thorn a very happy woman, and the old fart a very mad man. Who had the resources and money to send a hit or two after the woman. So the Curse Magic user decided to skip town. She had been surprised by new newer employer when she got not only his blessing to leave, but also a letter of recommendation to work for some guy in Oak town. He must have learned from his rival’s mistake to not mess with the mercenary.

But anyways, after a long hike through dangerous territory Thorn had arrived at Oak Town, cheery looking even though it was the countries black market capital. Oak was a beautiful town, situated on a hill with a grand castle on the top, with the road curling around the hill like a spiral. Along that road lay the town itself, made from the same material and in the same design as the castle, giving the town a good aesthetic feel to it, along with the grand oak trees growing everywhere, giving the town its name. The cobble stone streets give way to pleasant shops which host nice shops, pleasant pubs, churches, and a region famous art gallery. Yes from the outside without any information given Oak Town is a pleasant looking place, perfect for starting a business or raising a family.

In reality Oak was only slightly better than Dahlia due to the actual firm structure of authority, though still corrupt through-and-through. The towns lord and the guild master of Phantom Lord were supposedly chums, letting the dark guild do as they like though within reason, keeping peace but brewing with criminals. People with bounties like Thorn could stroll down the streets unafraid of getting picked up by local authorities because they probably have a higher bounty than you. Underground trade and the black market was actually a town highlight it seemed. Yes when you heard the words ‘Oak Town’ you usually think of something illegal…. And upon arriving Thorn had immediately set off to find her new employers place of residence, but had trouble since she was too standoffish to ask for directions. But after spotting a job board and what looked like some sort of scavenger hunt with a nice reward, Thorn decided that a nice walk around town gathering random stuff was just what she needed. But when that was finished some lady named Selena Nighless (or something) showed up and told her the job was a hoax. But before Thorn could rip her throat out not only did the woman pay her, but helpfully point out the exact place she was looking for. Nice, but creepy. Hopefully she wouldn’t run into the witch again.

Finally she had met her long-awaited employer and honestly was a little underwhelmed at first until the man began to explain things. Dr. Stephan Mabuz who runs a cute little magic shop in a hard to find side street in Oak which gets little to no traffic. The Doc informed his new employee about not being worried though since he was actually one of the best black market providers for illegal magic goods, particularly dark ones. This is where most of the man’s business comes from and where he got to know Thorn’s old employer. The doc offered Thorn a free dinky room in the apartments above his house to stay in while she works for him and others in Oak town, something she was grateful for since she both didn’t want to waste money on renting a place and wanted a bed to sleep in. Dinky was better than nothing. Not much had happened to Thorn since the last time the good doctor called on her for a job. But honestly after working for him for a while she was beginning to get a little bored, and that never meant good things for the money crazy woman. Boredom meant she wasn't doing anything, and that meant she wasn't making money. It was unacceptable. But Dr. Mabuz threatened to kick her out if she bugged him for more work again so Thorn would just have to bide her time.

After a week or so of doing other jobs the good doctor finally had work for her to do. To the mercenaries disappointment it was only testing out a few of his hexes. It was sort of a given that he gave this job to Thorn since she was a mage that specialized in curses, so this was very much down her lane. But man was it simplistic and boring for her for the same reason. She’d probably be asked to help rewrite the spells too, knowing the good doctor. At least she was being paid well enough for the task.

The first hex was called Stimuli with the effect making the hexed person very sensitive to smell for a while. Saying the name out loud while holding the paper and staring at the server at the café she was sitting at Thorn was pleased to noticed that the man looked practically green whenever he was near food and kept covering his nose. That hex was a success.

Next she tested Decrepify on another server, which was supposed to make them unable to walk but only gave them an annoying limb. Clicking her tongue Thorn paid for the food and left to return to the good doctor with her results. Like she expected the man wanted her services and kept her around for the rest of the night going over the hexes with him before finally dismissing her with a few nice gold coins. All in a days work.