It was odd to be back on familiar territory. Even more odd was how different she felt compared to a few days ago. The initial rage that had overwhelmed her had subdued, courtesy of the combination of her meeting with Konyo and some time thinking about stuff while simply enjoying some time at Valerie's side. It made Esperia start to wonder about the future: Certainly, she didn't like Eternal Nightmare, and that was putting it mildly but at the same time the silver-haired witch also was aware of the fact that going out on her own without the backing of the syndicate would be a dumb move.

She was strong, but not invincible, and she had other things to worry about also: She was no longer alone. Yes, her mind couldn't help but drift to Valerie and little Hasani. If she lashed out at the Eternal Nightmare on her own, then it would put the two of them at risk also.

No, the only way for her to ensure that Nacht's grasp on Eternal Nightmare was over, was to deal with the one leading it. Certainly, she could ignore the threat but then didn't that make her the same as those who were content to allow the darkness to fester in the shadows?

Wondering about those thoughts Esperia made her way toward Rush Valley, musing quietly on her next course of action when the town came into view.

It was fascinating how quickly the town had recovered from Tiamat's attack, the buildings repaired, and the only reminder of the tragedy being the additional graves at the graveyard. It showed that Rush Valley was strong, that the Sentinel Syndicate was strong.

Stopping at the entrance of the city the silver-haired witch extended her arm slightly forward, letting part of her arm, from the elbow-down pull up from her sleeve, the black scales pulsing lightly with energy.

"Seems my body is already starting to get used to those new assimilations..."

----

WC 337/2000

It was fortunate that this was the case, for it appeared that today trouble wouldn't be far away. In general Rush Valley was quite a safe and peaceful place, courtesy of the syndicate's control over this region making it so that criminals didn't really dare to anger the guild by intruding onto their territory, but even now and then a hard-headed fool would show up trying to cause trouble.

Today was such a day, as Esperia saw a tall muscular man in a rugged collection of armor made from leather and hides harassing some of the merchants peddling their wares. Unfortunately for him one of those merchants happened to be the representative of a client she was supposed to meet for a request.

"Come on! Just give me some free samples!" The man said in a loud obnoxious voice that made even Esperia cringe as she approached the direction the situation was unfolding. "Can't do that sir, our prices while fair are set according to the regulations of the Syndicate, and so we-"

The man slammed the palm of his hand on the table, right next to what seemed to be a collection of ores from the Dawncliff Mine. "Screw the Syndicate, you're dealing with me right now!" Esperia frowned at the words spoken, stopping beside the man as she spoke firmly.

"Please either obey the rules of this region or leave this town."

The man turned toward her, narrowing his eyes in a glare and retaliated with a taunt. "And who is going to make me leave? You, little miss pipsqueek?"

The words made the merchant turn pale, well-aware of who the hoodlum was talking to. "S-Sir you-" Yet the moment the merchant tried to warn him, the stranger pushed a hand against her shoulder, the shove making her stagger slightly backwards, but clearly he had not expected what would happen next.

From underneath the cloak of the witch, from the left-sleeve a obsidian-scaled prosthethic flashed upwards, and then a downwards swipe made the prosthethic slam onto the head of the man, a motion that accompanied a loud 'BONK!' as the thug collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud. "No, you will once you get back up on your feet."

The man looked up in confusion, his head spinning slightly as he groaned audibly. "Why...does my head feel like I just got whacked with a frying pan?"

WC: 410
Total WC: 747/2000

Turning her attention toward the Merchant the silver-haired witch dusted off the dirt on her prosthethic and spoke softly. "Now that is dealt with, I heard your boss had another request for the Syndicate?" The inquiry made the merchant nod her head lightly in response. "Indeed, recently a new section has been uncovered in the Dawncliff Mine and we would like to see if there is any profit to be made there."

Esperia nodded her head lightly in affirmation to the explanation. "You mean the new section that was unearthed near some of the ruins?" Esperia knew about the particular area, in fact she had read some of the reports since the ruins were a place she had some invested interest in. In the end, with the necessary information at her disposal she decided it was time to start working on the assignment itself.

It didn't take long for her to leave Rush Valley and start walking along the path leading into the mountains. Certainly, she could have just warped there, but then again... She didn't really see the urgency of doing so, and a little walk would help clear her thoughts somewhat.

After a short trip Esperia finally reached the entrance leading into the Dawncliff Mine. Quietly she walked along the corridor of the mine, traveling along the path that led her into the first floor of the mine.

In the past she often had to worry about some arrogant miners trying to force her out of the mine, but such days were past her. With her reputation and strength it were usually the fools and ignorant that would challenge her in such a way. Instead some of the miners even ended up greeting her, it was overall a pleasant feeling, to be able to avoid needless conflict.

Nonetheless, after some of the miners helped redirect her to the newly opened section of the mine, Esperia was finally about to arrive at the area she needed for her assignment. It was here that she would need to see if there were enough unspoiled mineral veins that could be worth a lot to the merchants.


WC: 358
Total WC: 1105/2000

Wandering along the spacious underground cavern Esperia couldn't help but notice that this particular area was more occupied than the rest of the mine. Groups of miners were busy mining and inspecting the various veins that were found among the rocks.

Some of them were familiar to her, miners belonging to the local miner's guild within Rush Valley, but she also spotted foreigners, likely freelancers hired by rival merchants trying to make more money.

Musing quietly about it Esperia soon started to walk past the miners, spotting a large mineral vein at the back of the cavern. As expected Esperia could see the unspoiled mineral veins were quite worthwhile. All things considered, Esperia thought it might be useful to report about this spot to the merchant.

As she turned around to start leaving the cavern she spotted a group of rough-looking men, including a familiar face, the same stranger that was causing a problem earlier at Rush Valley.

"O boi..." Esperia mused in annoyance while the group spotted her. The one that recognized her shouted in anger. "It's the fucking pan whacker!"

Esperia tilted her head to the side in bewilderment, declaring in frustration. "My name is Esperia." But the men ignored her declaration, the stranger from before raising a hand toward her as a magic circle emerged in front of his hand. "I'm going to give you payback Espwhoria!"

All of a sudden a large fist-sized boulder was conjured by the man who send it flying toward her, but for Esperia who had already been well aware of the attack, all it took was a flick of her hand to send the rock back at the thug, hitting him straight in the face.

"I'm starting to lose my patience... Leave this place, lest this mine becomes your grave." It was clear Esperia was not kidding around, the glare being enough to make the remaining miners carry their unconcious companion away.


WC: 328

Total WC: 1433/2000

Once she confirmed the thug miners had left Esperia decided to return back to the Rush Valley, walking quietly along the path till she reached the city.

Once she had been there Esperia spotted the merchant at the market, explaining things further Esperia started to address the merchant. "I ended up investigating the area, there are quite a lot of unspoiled mineral veins within the cavern. If you can get some people there you should be able to get a lot of ores to mine."

The merchant nodded her head excitedly as she placed a bag of jewels onto the table, leading Esperia to whisper a word of gratitude. Meanwhile as the merchant watched Esperia take her leave it seemed like the story was not yet over. After all, at the same time Esperia made her exit she could see the miners from before returning to the town.

"Hell no..." Esperia sighed in exhaustion, a hand reaching for the air beside her as she conjured a dimensional pathway and clapped her hands together in a prayer. "Heh~ Illumin be praised for Yarghast's help, cause I'm not going to be dealing with those assholes a third time."

And with those words she stepped through the portal, taking her leave from the city of Rush Valley.

Traveling through her pathway Esperia made her way into her Personal Dimension, the lush green scenery feeling so different from the mountains she had traversed earlier.

For now Esperia was satisfied with her work, instead idly musing about the idea of traveling to Hosenka next. Perhaps she could pick up Valerie and suggest to go somewhere together with her and Hasani.

However, at the same time Esperia was thinking those thoughts she couldn't help but find herself smiling sheepishly. It was odd how thinking of such peaceful days would help distract her just enough to make her forget the more darker sides of her life.

Perhaps one day she wouldn't even need to worry about those things anymore, instead being able to enjoy building a future with the red-haired werewolf and her son.

"Espy!" A sudden voice called out to her, making the silver-haired witch turn toward the source of the voice. "Fenrir?" Esperia chimed with a smile as the wolf girl approached her. "Are you going to go on an adventure again?" The inquiry made Esperia nod her head lightly in affirmation. "I plan to, we'll be able to get some exciting adventures going soon."

Indeed, she had some ideas in mind for the future, but for now she needed to prepare for what awaited them. Thanks to Fenrir she had an ally for when things got rough, but she also wanted to make sure she had a proper idea of how to approach the ideas she had discussed with Valerie.

"Just make sure to call me when it's time! I won't forgive you if you get in an exciting fight without me around!"

And with that done Esperia opened her portal, making her way toward Hosenka. Soon she would be able to see Valerie again, the mere thought of it making her grin happily.

For now, her business in Sieghart Mountains done, and she would need to start preparing for the next course of action.

With the portal opening up Esperia's eyes widened in confusion. "Did I take the wrong turn somewhere?" Where the hell did she arrive this time...

WC: 576
Total WC: 2009/2000 20% reduction from Guild quest