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  Returning to Malencia should have been something grand. The future problems had been disposed of, the ey was safe, and with the help of Jesse Esstrey could drag this city kig and screaming into the industrial revolution. Instead, it's wet and quiet outside, fear is on an all-time high after the frantic raids that saw soldiers, demons and eldritch horrors busting down doors. The only ohat are having true fuhe kobolds, who ied nicely into the liquidators. Their propensity for setting traps makes them excellent ambushers, paired with the equipment given as a standard to liquidators.

  Well, the fact that the rain is all blood might also have something to do with it.

  Holding out her cw from the baly of the keep, Esstrey hat the blood doesn't seem to belong to a creature at all. Blood is usually magically linked with its source due to the nature of blood magic, but it's just... blood. Furthermore, it's actually charged with a small amount of blood magi each drop. An amateur bloodmage might nhe spell engraved in the blood, but Esstrey knows it all too well. Ble, every singur drop has a small piece of distilled anger. It probably wouldn't take even five minutes of exposure for the average human to go berserk. Most people must have rushed to get indoors when blood started falling out of the sky, but arrogant demons, oblivious horrors, and the pht bee an issue ing this.

  "Cathy! Get a message to dell! I need every liquidator out there YESTERDAY! Set the curfew to include everyo capable of c themselves fully against the rain, anyone who doesn't ply will be arrested, anyone who resists will be SHOT!" Esstrey is incredibly happy that they rushed produ on those suits, albeit initially meant for the corrupting forest, the makeshift hazmat gear should do well against the rain.

  "Tell Kharn and Rowan to get some people to keep the sewers while you are at it, if those get clogged the streets will be running red with blood in more ways than one. Make sure to cover yourself against the rain as well, I don't think you are immune. I'm heading for the adventurers guild to make sure those arrogant nutjobs don't go on a mass stabbing spree, mind giving me a ride?" Cathy gives a quick bow, aowledging her dies requests and worries, and makes a portal to the adventurers guild for Esstrey to gh.

  Arriving at the guild through the portal, Esstrey sees some adveaking a smoke break outside. A mage between them keeps the blood away from them, but sidering their x attitude, they most likely don't know about the ble spell engraved within the drops.

  "Fuck it reeks out here, I get that things have been a little apocalyptic tely, but does the weather really have to act this goddamn melodramatic?" The adventurers aren't shocked wherey emerges from the rain drenched in blood, the ey has gohrough some stuff tely.

  "Greetings gentlemen, a mandatory curfew will be announced soon for a capable of fully proteg themselves against the rain, I would request of you to head ier your break." Esstrey keeps a close eye on their reas, attempting to find any irate behavior, but this lot seems properly protected by the mage with them.

  "Something wrong with the rain? Other than... ya know..." The axeman leans on his axe while tossing the butt of his cigarette aside, he gestures to the rain while staring at Esstrey.

  Before Esstrey ahe man, someone leaps out of the dark and begins g at Esstrey. She shoves the figure on the ground, where the snarling man desperately tries to turn around to bite irey's cws. In respoo the man's tinued resistarey begins to lift and vigorously shake the man, after some seds of shaking the man like she's an opportunistitrepreneur shaking the hands of an oil baron, the man falls unscious. The axeman that watched the dispy approaches outside the magical bubble to try and help, but Esstrey's gre freezes him in pce.

  "GET BA THE BUBBLE NOW! DO NOT TOUCH HIM!" Esstrey's previous sophisticated demeanor melts as the axeman withdraws baside the bubble. Grabbing the ragged man, she throws him ihe guild for them to deal with.

  As she floats back outside, the sound of footsteps es closer, a squad of liquidators tense from the atmosphere. Their trained movements and wary looks at Esstrey indicative that their coats protect them from the blood.

  "Captain Krenkov rep for duty ma'am, we got reports of a free-for-all ior D7. Surveilried to t the casualties, but couldn't risk getting close. Casualties are almost pletely restricted to the lower district so far, but there have been some demons and horrors that had to be put down in the middle and upper district." Krenkov tries to get a read on the superior of his superior while he gives his report, despite being absolutely drenched in blood the mermaid looks... healthy and of a good state of mind. It makes seo him that such a wet enviro is good for an aquatic being, but he didn't expect her to be immuo the magic that even affects the stro mage after some time and exposure.

  The bell tower sounds in the background while Esstrey thinks their situation over, Krenkov must have been close by already to get here so fast to support her, but with less than a dozen men going into that brawl at D7 would be endangering their lives. Not to mention, dell is most likely putting together a trated effort to subdue that situation.

  "Captain, we will be heading for sector D2 to suppress the situation there, if possible bring the afflicted to me, I decrease the effect of the rain. If as any tears in their clothing, prioritize getting inside." Esstrey's decision fuses Krenkov for a moment, they aren't going for D7?

  "Ma'am, the afflicted in D7-"

  "Are a self-solving problem. Ble this trated doesn't make the afflicted distinguish between friend or foe. We will move to ahat we suppress, dell will mobilize a force for D7" The men shuffle nervously at Esstrey's reasoning. Many of them participated willingly against the nobles for their ruthless and alien decisions. They uarey's logic, so now those decisions are only ruthless.

  They aren't sure whether that's much better.

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