Chloe stepped through the white arches of Astraeus into the cobbled market square. It was a noisy city, people shouted over the roar of carts, horses and merchants.

A memory not her own trickled into her mind. The city was celebrating Mabon, the autumn equinox. The day was celebrated by eating loads of spiced foods, waving red flags and making as much noise as possible to scare away evil spirits.

Chloe gritted her teeth and the intrusive memory. She was still battling to get her head around the idea that she was having insights from the mind of her future self. It sounded like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.

"God's damn you!" someone shouted at her. "Get out of my way."

Chloe turned towards the sound of the angry voice and stared at the bearded merchant in confusion.

She’d lived in the wild for so long that she found the city and all its movement and noise overwhelming.

"Don't just stand there with your mouth full of teeth and your elbow halfway up your arm," said the man. "Get out of the road."

Chloe blinked at him and then realized that the crowd she was in had crossed the street, leaving her standing in the middle of the road, blocking three wagons.

She waved apologetically and moved aside. The merchants spat on the ground next to her as he passed her by.

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She glanced down at the scroll Belgemine had given her and read it for the fifth time since entering Astraeus.

She had been sent to meet a scholar named Sylvia Gremlock. The scholar’s mother had been one of the witches that had died defending Chloe during Chaos’ attack.

Belgemine had described the woman as dark haired, in her early twenties, and that she wore round glasses and frequented the library.

Chloe rounded the corner and headed down a road through the craftsman district.

She passed a blacksmith who was standing outside his door watching a couple of apprentices working on a long sword.

The apprentices paused their labor to look at her as she walked past. One apprentice whistled at her and the other laughed. The blacksmith grunted a command and they both started working again.

Chloe's face went red, and she increased her pace. She realized then just how odd she probably looked. She had a long unhealed wound stitched shut on her cheek, a pair of scarred and scuffed gray trousers, and she wore a long black cloak with plants growing out of its pockets.

She adjusted the hood on her cloak to cover the wounds on her face and kept walking, not daring to look back at the blacksmith and his apprentices.

Chloe was starting to feel uncomfortable. She wanted to be alone, she wasn't used to crowds anymore and the sights, sounds and most of all the smells were making her head spin. She was hungry again, she'd eaten before leaving the witches' hut, but that was two days ago.

Everywhere people were busy, fetchers were carving arrows, tanners were boiling leather jerkins and carpenters were crafting large barricades.

It looks like the city is preparing for war.

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After an hour of searching, she finally found the library. It was one of the taller buildings in the city, it had a massive stone frontage and broad stairs leading up to the entrance.

Chloe approached the doors and pushed against the wood. They swung open, revealing a foyer and a pair of armed soldiers wearing chain mail.

"Sorry, mam," said a guard, "The library is closing now."

Chloe looked at him in surprise. "But it's not even evening yet. Please, I just need to talk to someone, her name's Sylvia Gremlock."

"No can do," said the soldier. "It's the day of the festival, and my missus ain't going to be happy if I'm late."

Chloe stared at the man, she could smell the ale on his breath. He must have been drinking already, she thought.

There's nothing left to do but find some food and bed for the night.

She pulled out the scroll once again and read the name of the inn Belgemine had suggested she use.

"One last thing," Chloe said. "Do you know where I can find the Dead Man’s Drink?"

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The guards had directed her to the docks. It was a busy area, the sun was setting, people were hurrying about, sailors called out orders to the porters. Men were loading barrels onto ships, and there was a constant stream of passengers coming and going.

As she walked, the alleys became darker and quieter, gone were the bustling crowds and the noise of commerce.

She passed an old woman wearing a short skirt and smoking a pipe. The old woman spread her legs in invitation when she saw Chloe.

Chloe quickly looked away, trying not to make eye contact.

From the corner of her eye, she saw sparks fly as the woman raked her pipe across the ground.

Some men watched Chloe and as she passed they stopped talking. Once she would have been afraid in this same situation now she relished the chance to fight.

She looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see the men following her, but nobody was there.

Maybe it's a good thing you don't get into a fight, your job is to find the girl and keep a low profile.

She sighed and kept walking. The alleyway grew narrower and cloth lines crisscrossed the alley above her head.

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The wind shifted, and she caught the scent of sweat and ale. Somebody was still following her, whoever it was they were good. If it wasn't for his smell, she wouldn't have known they were there.

Chloe took a turn and the alley opened out into a small square. A large building stood on the other side of the square. It was tall and narrow, there were no windows, just a single doorway with a sign that read, 'The Dead Man’s Drink.'

If things haven't changed in the ten years since Belgemine has last been here, then there should be a portly woman named Nelly working here.

She looked around one last time, hoping to catch a glimpse of her pursuer, but whoever it was, they were gone. It seemed like dinner would have to wait for later.

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Even with Chloe’s heightened senses, it was still dark inside the Dead Man’s Drink.

The inn stretched far back, with round tables and cushioned seats scattered about. Each table was hidden in shadow, only lit by a single candle.

The sound of women laughing came from a large table. Chloe looked and saw a group of women sitting around the table drinking colorful drinks and smoking large ornate pipes.

Chloe hadn't been in many inns in her life, but there was definitely something odd about this place.

Usually inns were crude and basic as drunk patrons broke mugs and got into fights on a regular basis, but the Dead Man’s Drink was different. There were lots of odd details everywhere. Wooden statues, paintings of people in lewd poses, strange trinkets hanging from the walls, and the floor was covered not with piss but with red carpets.

There were also no men in sight, not one, which would have been strange if Chloe hadn't known that the inn was run by a witch.

Chloe’s unwanted memories told there that there were no male witches in Ivalice. Men with the power either joined the Mages college, a warlock's circle, or the Sixth Order.

Being a magic practitioner with no guild affiliation was a sure way to die young, unless you were a necromancer, because nobody wanted to mess with those evil bastards.

Chloe knew these things because her future self knew these things. It was odd, useful, but odd.

Chloe looked up at a massive chandelier that hung above the bar, it was made of brass and polished so bright it hurt to look at.

The woman behind the bar turned to Chloe. "What'll it be?" she asked, leaning against the counter, her cheeks puffed out with a full set of rosy red lips.

"Are you Nelly?" Chloe asked.

The woman tapped impatiently on the counter, "Nelly was my ma, she died a few years back."

Chloe frowned, already off to a bad start, "Oh, um."

The barkeep sighed and tilted her head, her long curly hair fell over her shoulders as she studied Chloe, "What can I get you, lass?"

"It's a fine night for spirits," Chloe replied awkwardly

The woman raised an eyebrow. "A bit young, ain't ya?"

That was the password Belegemine had given her, she wasn't sure what else to say now.

“Look,” Chloe said, feeling anger creeping into her voice. “I don't have time for this shit, can you help me or not?”

The woman placed an empty glass in front of Chloe and leaned closer, "Relax, I'm not judging you or anything. But I don't handle that side of the business," She nodded at a table far back, where a single woman was sitting playing a game of cards by herself. “Speak to my sister Freda, she can help you.”

The barmaid poured a blue liquid into a glass. “But if you are in my inn, then you need a drink in your hand.”

She slid the glass in front of Chloe.

Chloe took it and placed a silver coin onto the counter. Belgemine had given her a purse full of coins, so she didn't bother waiting for change.

As Chloe crossed the bar, she caught a glimpse of two women entangled with each other.

Their hands gripped each other's thighs while their tongues danced together. Chloe stared for a moment, and then she saw something that made her heart skip a beat.

The older of the two women, a lady with skin like porcelain, raven black hair and lips as red as blood, looked up at her.

The candle on their table flickered and the woman’s red eyes shone in the light.

Chloe tensed for a second.

What is a hellion doing in this place? People should be running in terror, not sipping cocktails and laughing.

The younger girl, blonde haired with rosy cheeks, reached up and pulled the woman’s face towards her. The hellion smiled, her long pink tongue trailed the girls' wrist. The girl shuddered, her breath coming quick.

“Do it,” the girl moaned in pleasure.

The demon’s tongue flashed out, its point sharp as a razor blade, slicing open the girls' wrist.

Chloe looked away as the intoxicating aroma of blood filled her senses.

What the hell is this place?

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Freda was a tall, thin woman with long gray hair tied behind her head, she wore a purple dress, and her eyes were bright blue, sparkling like sapphires. Cards were laid on the table in front of her.

She raised a hand to stop Chloe from speaking, and then she placed another card on the table. She sighed as she stared at the star shaped formation of cards. She drew a second card from the pile and placed it in the center of the star.

"You are new here," Freda said, still looking down at her cards.

Chloe sat down opposite her, "I heard you sell animal brains."

For the first time, the woman looked at her. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of Chloe, her gaze lingering on the demon’s bane growing out of her pockets.

"It's rude to cut straight to business when we are still strangers," said Freda.

Chloe adjusted her hood, hiding her face from the witch, "What do you want to know?"

"Well," the woman said in a husky tone, "Let's start with something simple, tell me your name, girl."

A trickle of knowledge in the back of Chloe's mind told her that a person's name was a powerful weapon in the hands of a witch.

She thought about lying, but that would be too suspicious.

"My name is Chloe," she answered.

Freda placed the cards down on the table, "So you're a witch, Chloe. You don't look like a witch, what coven do you belong to, maybe I've heard of it."

"Glenhollow’s coven," Chloe said in a matter of fact tone.

Freda’s eyes narrowed at that. “Telling lies is not good for a little girls' health. Do you want to try that again?”

Chloe frowned, "Glenhollow’s coven," she repeated.

"Don't lie to me, girl," Freda snapped.

Chloe bit back her annoyance. “I'm telling the truth, I'm part of Belgemine’s coven.”

The woman slammed her hand on the table, scattering cards onto the floor, “I was raised by a high witch, taught the way since before you were a dirty thought in your father’s mind.”

Freda took a deep breath to calm herself, and said, "For decades, I begged Belgemine to train me, and time and time again, that arrogant bitch refused me. And you expect me to believe she let a little slip of a girl like you into her coven?”

Chloe was beginning to grow angry, she didn't need this shit. She was hungry and tired, and this woman was keeping her from her meal.

“I don't give a damn what you believe, you tired old hag,” Chloe said in a cool voice.

If the woman wanted proof, then proof she’d get.

[Oath of Pain: Activated]

Pain and power in equal measures filled Chloe, and blue illusionary flames lapped across her skin. She gritted her teeth, trying her best not to show the agony she felt.

The woman tried to back away from Chloe, but she was too slow. Chloe's hand shot out and grabbed the woman's arms and drew her in close.

“Are you going to give me what I need,” she hissed. “Or am I going to have to pry it from your cold, lifeless hands.”

Freda's eyes widened in anger, "You arrogant bitch," the woman spat, she pulled her arms free. She rubbed her bruised wrist and stared at Chloe. "Brash and arrogant. Maybe you are Belgemine's apprentice after all."

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