I didn't know how uncomfortable beds could be. As I laid down, I couldn't help but think that I was constantly sinking downward with every new position I laid. I ended up sleeping on the rug that was on the floor. That itched a bit, but it was solid, but the friction from my movement caused me to burn up a little bit. I never thought how the cold hard flat ground just did something to my body that would make me pass out. Once again sleeping like a bum but at least there was no one seeing me like the morning before.

I looked at a bounty board for another Wretched, but I don't think I wanted these… Targets… To stick to me like Felendren did. He had killed two guards and that was good enough for me. They were also stealing mana crystals, and of course I was going to have to face those yellow contraptions I was afraid of. I bought a shield with the money I earned, and I think it helped. Most of the Arcane Patrollers, the contraption I was afraid of, were heavy handed but were slow and when they hit me, they mostly hit the shield. I didn't understand how these Wretched reprogrammed these machines but when I ran into a Wretched and they engaged me in combat the patrollers usually came running when the Wretched started shouting. I found that Patrollers had soft joints and if I targeted them the structure fell apart. There was something eventful that I found. I was told to find the arcane cores from the Patrollers but when I ran into one, I found one cracked. When I touched it, my body immediately took in it's magic giving me a high burst of energy, I felt more focused and effective in combat, but to be honest with you I can't seem to stop my hands from shaking as I write this. I'm guessing that this is what the Wretched were looking for and I think it would be best if I never took mana from these crystals again, but control will be hard, I'm finding out.

I turned in another Wretched head before breakfast and of course I had breakfast. A few Herb Baked Eggs to keep my digestive tract working. Even though I technically don't need to eat, it's wise to keep those body functions working, also eggs have a funny bulky feeling in the tummy, so I predict that there good for me regardless.

So, after doing those three tasks, Magister Jaronis a mage by appearance with the same long haired side part I've been seeing a lot with the blood elf men asked me to deliver a letter to Ley-Keeper Caidanis. He also sent me to the Captain of the Blood Hawks (whatever that means) suspects Night Elf sabotage and ask me to investigate, that was in the same area.

When I approached the North Sanctum, I was a little surprised to see a black-haired dwarf and tried to say, "ello, ow are you?" in Common.

He said, "Hi?" In Common

I said it again and I think he said something else, but it had the tone in Common where it sounds like a question? I had learned a little bit of Common in elementary school and even spoke it fluently when I was in Light's Hope but maybe it was just his accent, Thane Korth'azz from Light's Hope accent was pretty thick, and my father had to translate more than a few times. That was four years ago. I kept trying to greet him and he seem to be getting angrier. Finally, Ley-Keeper Caidanis intervened, "What are you trying to say?" In Thalassian.

"'Hello, how are you.'" I looked over at Ley-Keeper Caidanis.

"He said his Common isn't that great but his Orcish is surprisingly tangible. Also, you need to practice your H's the sound is like a dog panting for breath." He made the sound of a H.

"That sounds stupid." I stated.

He laughed slightly in agreement, "It is, but what can you do?"

"ola como estas?" I said 'Hi, how are you?' in Orcish.

"I'm fine," The dwarf said, "but you'd best be on yer way if you don't want trouble."

I rolled my eyes and sighed and looked over to the red-haired elf, "I have something for you Ley-Keeper."

"Yes paladin?" I handed him the letter, "Oh, thank you…" He looked down at the letter, "…This is Perfect?" He looked at it confused. " She is-"

I shook my head, "No, Perfectia is my name."

"Oh." He nodded, "I've been expecting this letter. It says I need to send you to the West Sanctum and assist Lay-Keeper Velania. I know it won't be your field of expertise, but I need to keep our dwarven friend entertained. Go in my stead."

I shrugged, nodded, looked at the dwarf who looked at me like I might have said something offensive. I thought maybe I was swearing in some other language he could process.

After that, to be honest I got a little lost and I ran into a bag vender that was all shrugs about everything when I tried to ask him for directions. I was going to go back to Ley-Keeper Caidanis for better directions, but I ran into someone that seemed like he was in peril. His cart seemed like it was driven off the road and there were books and clothes thrown about, "You must help please." The black-haired male elf in red mage robes pleaded.

"Where is your master, was he killed?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not a slave, no, a fellow apprentice and I were attacked by Wretched. They took everything: mana crystals, wands, spell books… everything. Meledor gave chase-"

I nodded and interrupted him, "I'll find your master, cheveux noir." I ran off and started tracing where the Wretched might have been, "Noir, clean this up before I get back!" I yelled from far away.

I was trying to pick up on any smell or taste that the Wretched gave off, but I wasn't picking up anything but after I followed the road I ran into a blonde elf with a similar outfit as the slave one. "Are you Meledor?" I asked.

He looked at me, "Yes are you the one Ralen sent?"

"The noir? I didn't catch his name actually." I stated.

He looked at me suspiciously, "I would try to keep that racist undertone down a bit. More than half of the population of High Elves were killed during The Invasion. We can't use those kinds of labels anymore." He smiled and shrugged, "Besides, there are Wretched now and there much more of a threat then a group of black-haired transients hanging out in the woods."

I nodded and acknowledged that he was right. I would have to be more careful with my words from now on.

"I saw one of those things throw my instructor's grimoire in the river." He stated, "Help me find it and I'll throw in a bit of coin your way."

I walked on the bridge that connected the land masses and looked down in the water for the grimoire. It was about midday so I figured I would dry off after a dip in the water. Still, it wasn't easy to find but I found it and brought it back to Meledor soaked and wet and he paid me 2 silver and 50 copper for bringing back his book. I looked at him slightly confused, "This isn't even enough to buy soap. Even if I dry off, I'm going to be smelling like pond water for the rest of the day."

He shrugged slightly, "It's all I got."

I snatched the soaked book and looked at the flaps that kept it together and there was an embroidery in there written Antheol, "Antheol." I said out loud, "I think I'll ask around for someone that goes by that name."

"Wait!" He said as he tried to take back the book, "He's going to fly off his rocker when he finds out his book was ruined, maybe you could tell him you dropped it in a puddle."

I just looked at him confused, like anyone would believe that.

"I can pay you handsomely." He stated.

I looked at him inquisitively, "I thought you said this was all the coin you had."

He smiled nervously, "Well I need to go to my bank vault to get more."

I nodded slightly, backing away from him, and started running back.

"We have a deal, right?" I heard him yell as I was a few yards away.

I ran into a few metal veins that I recognized from mining in Tempest Keep and as I asked around for directions for this Antheol person I was eventually pointed to go east past the Death Scar. "What's the Death Star?"

The guard looked at me confused, "Death Scar." He corrected, "If you've never heard of it, stay on the roads and the undead shouldn't bother you."

I shrugged not really understanding the entirety of what that was. Even before I could see it, I could smell it, and for as foul as it was, everything in my brain told me to stay away from this, that what ever was there could poison me or kill me. Like wet dog and mold but worst. Like it was heavy and earthy, and I felt the eggs I had for breakfast take a place in my throat, then they left me.

After throwing up I had to sit there holding my stomach, until one of the patrolling guards passed me, "First time here?" He asked.

I put my hand over my mouth to keep myself from vomiting again and nodded my head.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dry, red, bell shaped flower, "This should help with the nausea, but you might experience headaches 20 minutes later unless you keep taking it."

I looked at the flower, "What is that?"

"It's called Bloodthistle, it's highly addicting but it should serve you well if you have work within the Death Scar. You should eventually get use to the smell and then wean yourself off the flower."

I look at the flower and back at him, "How much?"

He shrugged, "Free, it grows in the Death Scar so we usually find more then we could ever sell."

I nodded, "Is there a possibility I could go Wretched from taking this?"

He shook his head, "I don't think so. One could call it a gateway drug, but I've never seen any Wretched eating this or having problems crossing the Death Scar."

I was a bit reluctant to take it, but I did, and put it in my mouth. It was bitter on my tongue, but it had a pleasant feeling in my throat as it settled my stomach. He gave me a small burlap sack full of the flowers and in a few minutes, I felt that happy hormone I feel when taking in fel magic, but instead of feeling a pep of energy, I felt warm, relaxed, and relieved. Like my eyes were opening in the back and I don't know if it was the stress of everything, but my eyes started crying. But I wasn't upset, just really hungry for food. I ended up eating the honey bread rations I was given by Magistrix Erona and boy were they delicious. I walk toward the Death Scar again and while it did smell bad it wasn't as intense as before. I remember the skeletons that walked through the blacken mud hissing and grunting at me. But I was almost happy to see them. When I was hit with claws or sharpen stones they had most likely picked up, the pain was delayed, and every time I knocked off a limb like an arm or a skull from a body I would burst out in laughter. Eventually a half an hour passed and that headache the was promised hit me like a brick. As the head pain seem to come with every passing heartbeat. I was still in the center of the Death Scar and I didn't want to take in a whiff now that I was in the heart of it. I quickly reached into my bag and scrambled to get the burlap sack of flowers. One of the undead seeming to still have some of it's flesh attached attacked me knocking the bag out of my hand sending the flower buds in the air. I watched them fall on the blacken ground, "NO!" I screamed as I watched them fly through my fingertips.

I strike at the undead that knocked them away, grabbed a handful of flowers, and put them in my mouth. As I chewed down, I could feel the texture of the blacken mud as I tried to break them down. It tasted just about as bad as smelling it for the first time, but that headache was not getting any better. But several more of these cannibalistic undead showed up. I swallowed hard the bitter taste of flowers and death mud, but I felt a stinging pain in my stomach as it went down this time. I fought, maybe with the light, maybe out of desperation, but I healed myself several times as the undead had the advantage on me, four to one, and it was taking its toll. And then they were gone, I'm not sure how much time passed, but my stomach still hurt, but it wasn't because of the smell. I was all out of food, so I tried to heal myself and drink water, and walked the road crossing the Death Scar, the road eventually led me to an instructor that seemed to be teaching a group of elves by a freshwater pond. I stumbled pass his students and came to him, "Are you Antheol?"

He looked at me questionably, "Yes, are you okay?"

I reached into my bag and I pulled out the damp book, "This belongs to you." I said seeming to be in pain.

He looked at it and back to me seeming to be concerned, "No, you don't look so good."

I laughed slightly, "I'm fine." I tried to get him to take the book.

But I remember falling over and him catching me, "Guards! Bring the guards."

Well as I write this, I've found out they had to pump out my stomach to remove the death soil and remove the excessive mana I was consuming. I was told that when you drain mana from creatures you HAVE to release it eventually within ten to twenty minutes. Combined that with Bloodthistle, the fighting, and eating death soil and, well... What matters is I'm fine now and I should probably not use Bloodthisle again.