Astera was such a picturesque place, it was honestly almost annoying. Nuala had spent the past one and a half weeks in the coastal city and she was already growing tired of it. The constant smell of salt in the air, the seagulls and just how crowded everything was – but she would stay for a little longer. The Voidling didn’t miss the gloomy atmosphere of Dahlia just yet and she was ready to spend some time away from home anyways. There had been very few job opportunities for the young woman, although she had been quite lazy anyways. In the past few days, Nuala had taken some free time to herself. She wanted to relax, sleep in and just enjoy being by herself for a bit.

With everything that had conspired recently, all the strange, sudden and unexpected events, it felt good to get a clear head and get her mind off of those things. Nuala was still looking for work however, especially now that her latest attempt at assassination had failed. The Voidling was hoping to find some sort of work that didn’t require her to interact much with humans, but usually those type of jobs were the ones that didn’t pay that well. At least in most cities: in Dahlia it was different. Beast slaying paid off very well, but Dahlia had werewolves which was vastly different from the creatures that could be found in other towns. She thought back at the Wyvern she had encountered in Magnolia.

The beast had been so easy for her to get rid off, it was almost laughable. Granted it had been injured, but even then Nuala didn’t think it would have posed much of a problem to her. A single, well aimed punch at its head was all it needed to get that concussion and knock it out. Nuala wondered why things couldn’t always be so easy. Today was a rather rainy day, but she appreciated it because it meant that not many people would be out and about. She preferably avoided crowds so now was probably a good time for her to leave the nest and see if she could find any sort of work to distract her from her thoughts. Nuala wanted to to experience the thrill of the hunt again, and somehow she doubted that there was anything too weird to be found in a town like Astera. Dahlia on the other hand had its own freaking cult after all.

The Voidling slowly climbed out of bed and opened the windows; there were only a few people outside and most of the shops and their doors closed due to the rain. Nuala didn’t mind the bad weather and decided to go for a walk. She had her waterproof cloak that would keep her from getting wet and so the Voidling got dressed swiftly and left the hotel she was staying at. She had picked a place that was quite far away from the ocean (as far as possible actually) so that she didn’t have to hear the seagulls all the time. Unfortunately those damned birds were truly unbearable and wouldn’t stop squeaking and and screaming. She really didn’t understand how anyone could live like that – the screams of the innocent being devoured by the werewolves within Aldenwald was nothing compared to that terror. Nuala was dressed in her usual attire. She wore clothes entirely in black, black heeled boots and her trusty cloak, with the hood pulled deeply into her face. The citizens of Astera hadn’t been to bad, she had to give them that, but she still preferred not being seen nor talked to after all.

Nuala was also armed as per usual. She carried her two trusty daggers with her. Serpyn’s Soul Slasher, which she had acquired at a crypt during one of her adventures with the Captain and Death’s Ghastly Dagger, a weapon given to her by the master of her guild. Said master wanted her to improve her skills so she was practicing hard to hone them and make sure that she was worthy of such a great weapon. Even though it was raining since the early morning hours, it wasn’t too cold outside. Spring had already begun and thus the country had finally been blessed with warmer, more comfortable temperatures. Nuala walked outside and decided to head for one of the bakeries first since she hadn’t eaten yet and breakfast was the most important meal of the day. There was a bakery not far from her hotel that she very much preferred going to: they made delicious warm pastries and great coffee and tea. Nuala entered said bakery and much to her delight there were only a few customers. She took a seat by the window after ordering her usual meal and waited until the waitress arrived with her pastries and her morning cup of coffee. By now they were already used to seeing her around.

Nuala was enjoying her meal in silence when one of the waitresses gave her a long look. Nuala noticed it and because the girl had always been polite to her, the thief turned towards the girl and waved her closer. “Is there something you want to say?” She asked the girl and the other female nodded meekly. “I have been wondering whether or not you are an adventurer? You sure look like one,” she explained and Nuala raised her brows. She knew that it was obvious by her looks that she wasn’t a local, but this shouldn’t surprise the girl. The world was filled with travellers and especially a pretty place so close to the ocean like Astera was very beloved among tourists and travelers alike. She had even noticed that a multitude of magically gifted people came by just to see if they could find work here. The west of Fiore was in general a very popular region and very much unlike her home. “You’re not wrong,” Nuala responded.

“Why? Do you have a job for me?” She had had this kind of conversation before, so it wouldn’t surprise her if the maid actually had something to do for her or had heard of someone who required a mercenary. Word got around quickly so this wasn’t unusual. But the girl shook her head anyways. “I’m just curious. Actually, there is a merchant here in Astera called Gallard. Do you know Gallard?” Nuala didn’t and so she shook her head. The girl continued to explain. “He’s a trophy collector. He collects trophies of beasts that he didn’t slay, to be exact.” Nuala raised her eyebrows once again. She had never heard of something like that before. What a strange hobby. “And how does he acquire those beasts if he doesn’t slay them?” She asked and the girl immediately nodded, as if they were finally getting to the point. “He hires mercenaries to do it for him. I heard he pays really well. You should pay him a visit. He’s just down the street at the market area.”

That conversation turned out to be way more fruitful than Nuala had expected. The maid gave her a description of the merchant named Gallard and Nuala decided to check him out after all. She was really interested what a person like that would pay to have a simple beast slain.

Of course at that time Nuala had no idea yet what she was getting into. But it couldn’t possibly be worse than werewolves, could it? The Voidling finished her meal and paid for it before leaving again. She walked down the streets until she had reached the market place just like the maid had described to her and it didn’t take her very long to find the person she was looking for. The man called Gallard was a strange looking person. He was very flamboyant and arrogant looking, with a hair colour similar to her own. He also had an interesting shops with many items that came from beasts and monsters, such as jewelry made from bones and teeth and even scales. Nuala found all of that a bit morbid and also very spineless considering that he hadn’t slain any of those monsters himself. She wondered why he was getting such a kick out of it when he was just waiting at home for someone else to do their work.

She heaved a sigh and approached the merchant. He looked up to her and with a sway of his hands presented his merchandise. “Anything for the Lady? Perhaps a new pair of earrings?” He offered and Nuala’s expression blanked. “Actually, I’m here for something else,” she said and pulled her cloak aside, revealing both her daggers sitting idly at her side. Gallard’s expression immediately changed to a delightful one and he grinned at her. “A mercenary?! Quite petite, but without a doubt very capable. You must have heard of my most recent request, no? To slay the infamous Barrang and bring his teeth to me as a trophy? Over 300,000 Jewels will be waiting for you if you can manage to fulfill this task.” He wasn’t very secretive that was for sure. He also offered her a decent amount of money, an amount that Nuala didn’t want to decline. “I’ll slay the beast for you and bring it back.” She said and nodded at him.

“Where can I find it?” And this is where things became a little more strange. The merchant actually explained to her how no one actually knew what the beast looked like or where exactly it hid, because no one had survived an encounter before. It was somewhere within the outskirts of Astera, probably the cliffs.

A beast that no one could describe because everything who had seen it was dead? That just seemed very unlikely and untrue to Nuala. After all there was a mage’s guild present in Astera and if it was really that much of a problem, they would have taken care of it a long time ago. Still, Gallard gave her a description that allegedly described the beast and then she went on her merry way. By foot it was a decent travel all the way to the cliffs, but not too long. Less than an hour for sure. The weather was still rainy, but that just fit right into her agenda. Nuala knew that most animals and also beasts and monsters had difficulties smelling their prey during the rain, because the rain itself enhanced the smell of their surroundings. The scent of stone, earth and grass became way more prominent in this type of weather, she had to agree.

It didn’t take very long until she saw the first few hints that a large beast was indeed present. There were carvings within the stones, the trees and large footsteps inside the ground. Nuala wasn’t a professional pathfinder, but she could tell by these things alone that the beast was quite large, but also nothing extraordinary. She would have to make sure not to get close to its claws or its jaw and then she would be fine, but frankly that was the rule of thumb with any monster at this rate. The Voidling was completely soundless when she moved through the scenery and eventually she came across a cave that just seemed to be the perfect living place for a creature like the Barrang.

It was large and dark and she peered inside only to see more claw markings and footsteps leading into the cave. Because Nuala could see in the dark, this was no problem for her. She could also hear something large and heavy breathing with her enhanced hearing, so the Voidling simply pulled out her daggers and turned herself invisible before going inside. She could see that the Barrang, who could smell but not see her, was indeed very large and dangerous looking, so she decided to quickly kill the monster by disemboweling it. She cut through its stomach, causing all its organs to fall out, dodged its attacks and dashed forward to stab her dagger into its throat. Once the beast was dead, she removed its teeth and returned to Gallard, who was surprised to see that she had indeed survived and succeeded and gave her her promised reward.