Pre task meeting

Blush had dressed up like an ordinary mercenary while she had chosen to hide her face with a white mask and hood.

A sword was attached to her waist along with some daggers while a small backpack was on her back.

The moment that someone got close to her, she had already noticed their approach so once they had put their arm around her, Blush had taken out a dagger out and pressed it to their waist. "Let go."

The man was about to laugh out loud but then felt the dagger digging into his side and the pressure kept increasing every moment. "I.. I got it."

He backed up holding his waist which had a little wound on it then ran away in fear.

He quickly realised that he had made a big mistake and picked on the wrong opponent.

Many others showed a look of interest towards Blush who had quickly sheathed her dagger once more but they then went back to their own business and social activities.

Blush found a place to sit down alone near the bar. "One glass of water."

"Pfft.."

"She came to this place and ordered water."

"I think this little lady should go find another place to drink."

Just because Blush had caught a drunkard off guard did not mean everyone feared offending her. 'If this is how it will be throughout this task them it will be painful.'

The bartender brought her a glass of water and received the payment then left Blush alone to watch over the groups forming within the area.

Many were her comrades while they were also her competition since those that were able to take the head of the witches and hand them over would gain the rewards.

Many grouped up in the hopes of receiving a portion of the reward and for the sake of coming back alive.

While some witches had their own specialties and ways of using magic, most were physically weak and once their magic ran out, they would be vulnerable to attacks.

Some witches lacked offensive or defensive spells so their ability to fend off a large amount of people so those among them would only be able to hurt or kill so many before their lives were taken when an organised group attacked.

They were unlike demons who had their magic and bodies strengthened by the demon world's miasma which meant that their bodies were weaker and most of their abilities relied on their own research and direction of study.

While the demons had a longer lifespan and had a long history which allowed them to pass down and refine their techniques for a longer period of time, the witches were always the victims of peoples fear so their inheritances were often lost which lead to many having to discover their path on their own unless they had enough luck to gain a mentor.

Blush was a classic example of such a lucky person because she had claimed the evil witches belongings after she killed her.

Not everyone could be so lucky to gain such a rare chance which could allow their future path to be smoother.

Many of those remaining collections and inheritances were on the verge of being destroyed so Blush could not ignore such a thing so she had participated once she heard of it.

A group gathered and the place became rowdy until there was a deep voice which caused them to become silent. "Quiet! Alright now we have all gathered together for the same task. Some are here for personal reasons while others are here for the reward but I do not care for either so long as you work together and complete the task. Those causing problems or that are caught aiding the witches will be dealt with accordingly."

There existed some wizards in the world too but they seemed to have high positions within kingdoms and were famed for their deep knowledge and magic which was used to aid their king while the witches were often shunned by the common folk.

Not every wizard was the same and so were the witches, there could be all kinds of different types of people with their own situations and directions in what magic they used and how they used it.

There were some that joined to take on the task for their own motives to kill a witch for fame or revenge while others just wanted to receive the reward but it was to be expected that spies could be planted among those taking the task that would interfere and aid the witches.

The man with the deep voice had a knights set of armour on his body and a sword at his waist as he stood there imposingly.

He rolled out a map and pointed towards a location on the map. "We will all head down this route first and I will lead you to the first destination of a known witch. For now we will go over her known abilities so that we can combat her."

He took a breath and then continued. "This witch has no known abilities besides putting people or animals to sleep. It could be a spell or it could be that she is skilled in making use of herbs to make medicines and poisons so be careful and be prepared."

Someone raised their hands and asked. "How accurate is your information? Couldn't we be walking in blind to this?"

The knight revealed a smile as if he was very confident. "Most of the targets are well known and they would have revealed their abilities at least once when they have used them to harm others, protect themselves or to help others in exchange for money. While some may have had no problems, they are still suspected to be involved with the murder of the city lord and a string of other problems in the area so they must be stopped."

Blush watched the man from far away and her eyes carefully examined him from head to toe while listening to his speech. 'It is like the witches had already been set to take the fall. They must have investigated them and possibly set up situations which would reveal their abilities so they could find out each strength and weakness.'

Everything smelled like a big conspiracy and there was one more thing which caught Blush's eye as she examined the knight and the people that accompanied him.

It was something which she had previously suspected but it had not been proven until her eyes had seen it for herself.

The knight continued explaining how they would deal with the first witch then called for everyone to go back to their living quarters or spend the night in a tavern room.

When the knight and his group were moving together, they stopped at a building and started to go to sleep for the night while taking shifts to stay awake.

They did not know that they had been followed by a small creature which had climbed outside the window of the knight who was asleep.

The creature opened a small pouch which released a strange power which spread around the room while some of it had slipped out of the room through the gaps in the door then travelled down the passage.

The window was gently pushed open and the creature quietly jumped down upon detecting no movements nearby then started to approach the sleeping knight.