Only a few days had passed since her return to the city of Hargeon, and while she was trying to come to terms with the peculiar situation she found herself in, Esperia had to admit it was far more difficult than she had anticipated. While it took little effort for her to develop a proper disguise that allowed her to mingle amidst society without any concerns, it didn't help ease the additional complications that arose with her existence. She was no ordinary demon, she was the successor to Lilith, and that meant she was essentially a succubus. It reminded her of the days she spend as a vampire, of how she required blood to remain healthy, but now it was different. She no longer had Priscilla to rely on when it came to her source of nourishment, not to mention the essence she now required as nourishment was more delicate than blood. As a vampire she could feed easily with little concern as long as she restrained herself from not taking too much blood, but as a demon? As a demon her source of nourishment was the essence of a person's soul. Some might think it was just a simple act of draining one's mana. But they were not exactly correct.

As she had experimented earlier, the essence of a person's soul was found both in their spiritual, or within their 'mana' as some might call it, but also in the essence of their life force. Consuming the essence of a person's soul meant you were essentially draining both their mana and life, as such it required far more delicate control over the draining if she didn't want to outright leave the person as a husk.

Heaving a sigh as she closed the small book she had been scribing her notes in, Esperia's attention turned toward the window of the inn she had been staying at.

As promised she would soon return to the Blue Pegasus guild their accommodations, but there were some things she wanted to confirm first. She had to make certain she wasn't going to be a threat to fellow guild members, for that was something she wouldn't allow herself. Even now she felt somewhat hesitant about returning, just knowing who, or rather what she had become... It just felt odd for someone like her to linger in a guild like Blue Pegasus.... Even if it was like her own family.

Rising out of her seat the demon approached the nearby window, her gaze shifting outside into the direction of the distant sea. It seemed today would be another sunny day, perhaps a good opportunity for her to take a walk outside and clear her mind about these gloomy thoughts haunting her?

It didn't take long for her to decide, for she was already making her way to the doorway to seek out a new adventure. What would await her today within the town of Hargeon? Only time would tell...

WC: 503
Total WC: 503/2500

Walking along the streets of Hargeon Esperia could see that the city had regained its liveliness in the wake of the Dark invasions. She was glad to see the people had recovered so quickly. They were a hardy folk, and also quick to band together and support each other in the aftermath of the tragic invasion. If only that type of cooperation could extend further...

Arriving at a small marketplace she could see a group of civilians gathered around a bulletin board, clearly busy discussing something of importance. "The Azure Beach has been closed off again?" One of the people grumbled in annoyance while another replied in a worried tone. "Seems there is a crew of pirates terrorizing the nearby coves again, but it appears something spooked them because they aren't getting closer to town."

A merchant among them nodded his head firmly. "It appears the Rune Knights aren't taking any chances and advice people to stay away from the beach."

It was a bit ironic that no matter how often people went out to deal with the pirate crews, more would always end up returning. But why? What purpose did they have for coming all the way to Hargeon when they knew it was just a matter of time before they would be challenged?

WC: 217
Total WC: 720/2500

Not that she cared too much, which was weird in hindsight. In the past she was way more hesitant about taking someone's life, but nowadays it felt like her concerns about it had dulled for the most part. Was it because of the things she had endured? Or perhaps because she had become a demon? So many questions about her new state of existence...

If it had been her old self she would likely had been disturbed at the thought of how devoid of care she was about the lives of these pirates. After all, they were considered an enemy, but was that enough of a reason for her to be so whimsical about their fate? Even now she didn't know the answer to that, not even as she left the plaza to figure out how she would deal with the pirates.

It wasn't exactly that she felt a desire to help people, or some sort of justified reason for wanting to play a hero. Not anymore, she was simply hungry, and considering these individuals were her enemies, she had no reason to show any mercy to them, right?

Her lips curved up into a smile as she felt that was enough of a reason to justify her deeds.

WC: 212
Total WC: 932/2500

She could already see the pirates up ahead, a small group had gathered in the cove down the cliffs, likely a scouting party. However, there was no sign of what purpose they had. It didn't look like they were searching for anything in particular. Rather, it felt like they were just keeping ground for some larger force waiting to arrive.

A sudden rustle came behind her, causing Esperia to turn around as she felt an approaching presence. Two young men, one seemingly clad in armor and wearing a sword and shield was standing side by side with a larger and more muscular stranger, the figure wielding a gigantic axe. The last one among the trio was a mage, just a glimpse of their robes and staff gave away that much.

"Are you alright miss? We heard tales of dangerous pirates in the neighborhood."

Esperia couldn't help but find an idea rising up within her mind. Gesturing down the cliff as she made a soft 'shh' sound the trio came closer as she whispered. "My name is Esperia, a healer working for Blue Pegasus, I came to scout ahead and see what dangers could await, but I'm afraid even this mere scouting party might be too much for me alone... Could I promise we team up? I can tend to your injuries so that we can stop these pirates from harrying the townsfolk."

Fortunately the group were caught by her little bluff, and after a brief exchange among themselves were eager to lend her a hand. It was just like this that the 'anti-pirate party' had been formed. Esperia had to admit it was refreshing to work alongside others. Watching the pirates shout in bewilderment as a fireball was launched in the air by the mage, who once the projectile came crashing down was accompanied by the warrior rushing into the fray with his giant axe!

WC: 319
Total WC: 1251/2500

The pirates quickly rallied back, one swinging his knife at the warrior while she had already started moving. Clasping her hands together in a praying motion she acted like she was praying for a miracle when all of a sudden her body became surrounded in a purple glow that resonated in the form of a protective aura around the warrior. Not only did the dagger rebound from it, but the earlier injuries the warrior sustained had disappeared quickly, leading to the man to grin with vigor as he continued charging into the fray.

Meanwhile some of the other, more clever pirates realized their priorities, two of them rushing into her direction but their path was blocked soon afterwards by the guy wielding the sword and shield, shield raised and his sword clanging to the side as if to taunt the pirates by telling them they would need to get past him first.

Meanwhile the mage had started to channel another spell, this time causing several bolts of fire magic to emerge above his staff. It appeared this time he was going for some more wide-spread chaos? Taking the hint Esperia proceeded to raise a hand forwards, whispering under her breath as a purple magical circle appeared underneath her, soon engulfing her party in a layer of protective energy as the firebolts came raining down!

WC: 225
Total WC: 1476/2500

A sudden dust cloud settled in as the projectiles exploded around them, making it even for the demon difficult to see without the usage of her unique sight. However, she could easily predict what had happened. The moment the dust settled the pirates were found to have collapsed onto a ground, their bodies singed by the flames that lingered. It was clear they had suffered immense damage due to the absence of a protective blessing like the one she had cast on her group. As the magic slowly faded away Esperia's gaze drifted toward the others who seemingly had considered their victory already earned.

"We should drag these pirates back to the rune knights!" the knight exclaimed excitedly while the others seemingly agreed with his plan. "What about you Esperia? What will you be doing?" Esperia raised a hand to her cheek, pondering for a moment. "I guess I will be checking on one of my guild members nearby, but I'll head back to town after that. Feel free to take my share of the bounty these guys might have had~"

And with these words she watched the group drag off the pirates. She waited till they had disappeared, her waving hand lowering as she found her gentle smile turning into a mischievous smirk. "I guess I'll wait till their reinforcements arrive~ I been wanting to try out something new I found on the pirates their ship last time~"

As she spoke the lass's gaze shifted toward her boots which hummed with wind magic.

WC: 258
Total WC: 1734/2500

Fortunately she didn't need to wait much longer, for she could hear footsteps in the distance, from the direction of the caves. Her gaze turned toward the entrance as several armed pirates came marching out, clearly confused at the absence of their companions. Even more confused were they that she wasn't trying to flee, instead she merely stood there, a mischievous smile on her lips and a glint in her eyes.

"Are you responsible for our missing crew?" One of the pirates asked, to which Esperia replied in a playful tone. "Maybe I am~ or maybe I'm not~" Her words clearly caused the pirates to become agitated as one of them stepped forward, a fist raised in a threatening motion. "Listen here lassy! If you don't start humming another tune quickly-" Yet before he could finish speaking she had raised a hand, the small purple sphere emerging in front of her stretched hand and the moment it collided against the pirate's chest she could feel how his life essence was being drained away.

The others were going to sit idle either, as one of the nearby pirates looked in shock for a moment as his companion rapidly turned into a husk, but intending to take revenge he swept his scimitar toward her!

WC: 217
Total WC: 1951/2500

It was then it happened. Activating the power in her boots Esperia pressed a foot upwards, feeling how it seemingly remained sticking in the air and swept her body in a downwards angle to avoid the sweeping motion that came horizontal at her! Yet the second attack would be made by her instead. A hand reached for the man's torso, a gentle touch being all she needed to drain the man of his energy as he collapsed onto the sand with a painful thud. Even more curious was how she felt his soul essence was protecting her, providing a protective layer of energy over her skin.

This clearly startled the remaining pirates, for they turned tail and fled, making Esperia sigh in frustration. "Neither a meal or a real challenge... how much pitiful~" Indeed, the two pirates she had drained were barely enough to even be considered a snack! But nonetheless, she wasn't going to be chasing them needlessly.

Her gaze turned back toward the beach, when all of a sudden an idea arose within her, making the young woman decide to take a little detour. She moved further inland, toward the forests surrounding the port. Perhaps it was the change of scenery, but Esperia found it oddly refreshing as she walked among the trees. Yet even then she had to admit she wasn't entirely certain why she was wandering here.

WC: 234
Total WC: 2185/2500

It was at that point the demon arrived at a lake, deciding to take some shelter under a large tree and simply enjoy the sight of nature, wondering about the recent events. The more time that she spend, the more she was descending into the existence of a succubus. There was no doubt her mind was already becoming more like that of a demon. But what if it would start to consume her origin? What if it started to overwrite her priorities and she started to lose sight of what she considered important? The thought was harrowing.

Even if Lilith had tried to reassure her, it was the first time she was ceasing to be a human in the traditional sense of the word. Even now she considered pirates to be nothing more but an appetizing snack to be consumed without a care. Was there any good or justness in that? Did she have even a reason for it? Did she even need one now she became a demon? The thoughts continued to plague her mind as she looked up at the evening sky, the distant setting sun that was disappearing across the horizon. What would her family have thought about her? They likely would have scorned her... Then again, it wasn't like she had much choice this time. It was Bael who had forced her hand like this! Groaning in annoyance she rose back onto her feet, turning into the direction of Hargeon and started making her way homewards. Actually it felt odd how she still thought of it as home, now that Priscilla was gone... did she even have such a place? A place that she could always return to and call home? Heaving a sigh she shook her head. Even if Blue Pegasus was her family, something Alisa had made clear to her, she still wondered if she would ever be able to regain that which she had lost that fateful day. Only time would be able to answer that for her.

WC: 336
Total WC: +2500/2500