Narration:

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Three weeks ago, Ezra had undertaken another commission from the black market to cull a certain sort of mana, and it was really quite a pain to find a mage with said mana. Finally, the rune pulsed and glowed with the vibrancy and frequency Ezra was looking for. Since then, Ezra had been tracking the mage discreetly at a large distance. He couldn't help but wonder if the mage was stupid.

Ezra stalked through the dense forest outside the city, following the mage at a distance. The foliage was quiet beneath his trained footsteps. Ezra was careful to maintain distance and remain hidden.

Finally as Ezra rounded a bend in the path, he caught clear sight of the mage up ahead who appeared to momentarily pause. Ezra swiftly loaded his crossbow with a bolt laced with mixture of paralyzer, tranquilizer, and poison. Aiming carefully at the mage, Ezra fired. The bolt flew through the air with deadly precision, but to Ezra's surprise, the mage moved aside at the last moment.

The laced bolt grazed the mage's shoulder, leaving a bloody gash. Fucking hell... Ezra cursed inwardly as he watched the bolt miss. This was not how it was supposed to go. He had expected to hit a vital area and incapacitate the mage.

Ezra quickly assessed the situation. Ezra needed the to completely subdue the mage before possibly performing "Mana Cull". He was so god damn close to fulfilling that contract.