It should only have been thought of as fatigue, the exhaustion that had come with her new normal. Outcasted from Blue Pegasus, left to fend for herself within a city that had as much dismissed her, welcomed her with reluctant arms, and then thorw her away again, the tragedy of Vyra’s plight within Hargeon was hardly anything new, but sadly one that was hardly finished either. Since her return from the Northern parts of Fiore, the Demi-Human had found herself under constant and unwavering siege, not just from the perspective of the people who had found such delight in turning their backs upon her, but also those of the Rune Knights that patrolled throughout Hargeon. Patrolling purely for the sake of bringing Vyra into custody, a plight that she knew if ever manifested, would inevitably lead to her never seeing Alisa again.

For days now, this had become routine, her looking to escape from the threat of the Rune Knights that always seemed just around the corner, close enough always that the risk was there, that the threat existed, but fortunately never quite manifested. She had become diligent, ready to depart at a moment’s notice, hastily leaving from one part of Hargeon to another without so much as any Rune Knights who may have had a suspicion being so much as able to act upon it. It simply was not a risk that Vyra could afford to take, the fact being that there was no due process through any of this.

If she were caught, that would be the end of it.

But, if she were able to do anything about it, Vyra would see that that day would not be today. But that did not mean that there wasn’t risk attached to things.

Having begun her day, she would have wished that it could have been without the presence of any Rune Knights, but that would have been far too much to ask for. Only a short time before she had been wandering through the main streets until she caught the briefest glimpse of the white cloaks, a symbol that had become synonymous with the Rune Knights, heading in an opposite direction. She felt her heart sink a bit, worried if she should have moved away, but instead risked it, seeking the anonymous nature that came with blending into the crowds. It had worked before, but also brought with it risk.

As she disappeared into the crowd, she could not help but find herself holding her breath, worried. This option, though often effective, left her limited escape routes, more being tied to whatever may have been in the area. To Vyra’s benefit this time though, there were no shortage of ways and means that she could have gotten away from here, plenty of adjacent alleyways spread out all around them. She kept her ears open for sounds that may have indicated people moving out of the way from the Rune Knights, but also keeping her eyes peeled, narrowly checking the far corners of her eyes to see if she would have happened upon those white cloaks again.

Some time passed before she could finally breath again, a sigh of relief escaping from her lips. Having been so focused purely on the potential appearances of the Rune Knights and their potential arrival, she had neglected that of the man whom had taken a seat beside her at the nearby establishment.

“Tough morning,” he asked, the concern in his voice betraying what Vyra knew of him. A broker, one responsible for the various deals that took place throughout not just the docks but also the shadier parts of Hargeon. If a face were to be given to the people helping to bring back Hargeon’s underworld to its former glory, certainly he were a candidate.

“What’s it to you?” Vyra asked coldly, not interested in the fake sincerity that this man conveyed. While hardly friends, they were neither enemies for that matter either. Reluctant patrons forced into a situation that neither wished to be within.

“I’m doing fine. Though same can’t be said of you, now can it?” His words stung, but were truthful nonetheless. Those who knew the situation Vyra were in, it was a powerful tool, but one that seldom any would try to capitalize upon, lest they face the unbridled wrath of Alisa Vollan. “But, I can help you, if you were so inclined.”

Suspicious, but also curious, Vyra turned towards the man, noticing the gleam in his eyes as it generated exactly the response he sought, “How?”

“Associates of mine. Guild by the name of Oración Seis. I’ve had dealings with them before, and they’ve heard of your plight through the grapevine. They want to help.”

“That’s it? They want to help?” Vyra looked around, making sure that no Rune Knights may have been present. “Why?” She asked under hushed voices.

The man similarly leaned in, lowering his voice lest it be heard by unwanted ears, “Same reason as anyone who knew of you and your ‘issues’. Helping you, you think the Blue Pegasus Guild Master wouldn’t be appreciative? Come on now…”

It left Vyra disturbed knowing that this were the motivation, but it was hardly a surprise. Much of the aid that she had received up to this point following her removal from Blue Pegasus had been tied to the idea of currying favor with Alisa. At least in this case, the party seemed to be upfront with that.

“Interested?” The man asked, breaking Vyra out of her moment of thought.

“What would I have to do?”

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small note, sliding it discretely to Vyra as he reached over and grabbed something upon the bar. “That address. Go there, and they’ll get you out of Hargeon.” He spoke quickly and quietly, Vyra barely able to hear his words over the noise all around them. She quickly glanced down at the note, and as a question arose, she lifted her head, only to see that the man had disappeared into the crowd, leaving Vyra to figure her way there on her own.

Located deep within the more dirty parts of Hargeon, the slums to call it more precisely, she knew that it would be challenging. No shortage of Rune Knights had been deployed there, all thinking that without anywhere to go, Vyra would be forced to hide out in there. It did not make her life any easier, nor did it make her attempts at maneuvering through any less challenging. Had it not been for past experience travelling through these infinite alleyways for the sake of exploration and other small jobs in the past, no doubt she would have been lost.

Fortunately though, that were not the case.

After a short bit, and some very careful, if not heart-stopping, moments, Vyra had managed to find exactly where the man’s note had described it as being. A run down bar, one that once upon a time may have been a place of great business, but now was nothing more than an artifact of a past time. Even still, it would make sense that such a place by where a covert operation like smuggling someone out of a militarily-occupied city would take place. Thus, Vyra found that herself forced to make a moment of faith and believe that this would be her salvation. Taking a deep breath and a final look to make sure there were no Rune Knights in her vicinity, she entered inside, hopeful for what would come next.

1260/1200 (-40% |-20% Oración Seis Guild Level 2 Perk, -20% Explorer's Belt)