Megumi decided that it had been pretty stupid to save up Poro-tan's TP the way she did, and was going to rectify that right now. Running around being chased while her supposed meat-shield was occupied with one soldier had not been her idea of a good time. She decided he needed to be better with that sword and placed two of the three TPs into Sword Mastery. Now it was time to look into some new available skills for him. She pulled up his skill purchasing window.

Too bad Poro-tan's class doesn't have some sort of hack to gain extra TP. Looks like Megu will have to be careful about what kind of skills she gets him. He hasn't unlocked a lot so far. Megumi thought about what she needed from her pet while they rode silently toward Bridgeport.

Ultimately, she decided that he needed to be more versatile in his combat styles, and bought him Turtle Style. The next skill in that tree didn't reveal itself yet, so it must mean that he didn't meet the requirements yet. A few hours later they reached the town and she took in the sight of the place.

The port city was much larger than Northpost and even from a distance she could tell that the town was bustling. Megu just needs to find us a boat and we can get safe passage out of this kingdom. She grinned at how well everything was working out for her lately, it was as though the gods themselves approved of her evil deeds in the world.

There were guards at the entrance to the city and Megumi had Poro-tan flash his adventurer's guild card. With that, they would be able to pass through most places without question. Megumi had a destination in mind, The Virulent Hen, was an inn that was near the port. From there, they would be able to find a captain and book passage. 

For some reason the streets were even more crowded than she had remembered. People jostled her and Poro-kun as they walked through the town. It irritated her to the point that she wished she could just blast a few people and clear the way. A few minutes, and several blocks later they came to the inn she was looking for and went inside. 

Why in the gods names is this fucking city so damned packed! Megu wants to get the fuck out of here already. She went over to the innkeeper's desk and a portly middle-aged woman with short brown hair looked down at her. 

"We're full. There aren't any rooms here, or probably anywhere else in the city right now. If you want something to eat, you'll have to wait for a table."

Megumi grimaced. What the fuck is going on here? She knew that acting cute probably wouldn't work on this woman. She had stayed here before on her way through to Northpost years ago and the woman hadn't exactly been nice, but the place was cheap. "Why aren't there any rooms in the city?"

"Have you had your head stuck in the sand, girl? A dungeon core has been stolen over in Northpost. As a result every port this side of the country has been closed down. No ships are allowed to leave until High Lord Matthis says so."

"Megu didn't realize, she's been traveling. Is there really no rooms in the whole city? Megu can pay," she said begrudgingly. She wasn't cheap, but wasting money on stupid shit went against her nature anyway. From what they had gained in the dungeon as well as the money they stole off the dead adventurers' and guards' corpses over the past few days she had a little over 1000 GP. Megu should've known that the government would do everything to stop that core from getting out of the country. We're going to have to be creative.

"Look, girl, my heart is not made of stone, but we just don't have any rooms. Try The Golden Coronet, it's in the rich quarter of town, so it'll cost you, but I'm sure this mess will be cleared up in a few days. Who's the guy? You eloping with an older man and running away from your parents or something?

"Poro-tan is Megu's big brother. Our parents died in the necromancer attack on Whitegrove..." With a little effort she managed to produce some tears. The woman in front of her softened a bit seeing her in this state. Megu's a genius when it comes to manipulating people! 

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have relatives outside the country?"

Megumi nodded. "In Oleander, across the sea..." She had Poro-tan come over next to her and put an arm on her shoulder to complete the effect she was trying to create. "Megu just wants to be safe again."

"We all do, girl, we all do. The world's a crazy place as of late. When everything clears up, go to the docks and ask for Vinhammer, he's the captain of The Green Swallow, it's a fishing boat. Tell him Rylia sent you, and he will give you cheap passage to Oleander so long as your brother, is willing to work. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work, I wish you the best."

 Once the woman had gone out of sight, Megumi let out a slight curse under her breath about their situation. "Come on, Poro-tan, we need to find somewhere to sleep for the night."

The two of them once again pushed and shoved their way through the crowds until they reached the more expensive area of town. The Golden Coronet looked just as fancy as its name implied, but at least it wasn't as crazy in this region as down in the slums by the dock. When they entered, the balding innkeeper took one look at them and turned his nose up. Megu isn't dressed all fancy, but her money is just as good as anyone else's asshole! 

Swallowing the bile in her throat at having to put on a show for this stuck up peacock of a man, she stepped over to the counter and asked about a room. "Megu and Poro-tan need to get a room for a day or two. Do you have any free?"

The man studied her for a moment. "We have a few rooms free, but surely they're above your price range. Maybe you'd have better luck down by the docks." He shuffled some papers around on his desk and acted like he was going to ignore her.

Megu is going to make sure that you die before we leave town you stuck-up bastard! "Try me. How much is a room?"

He once again looked down his nose at her, "350 GP per night. You won't find anything cheaper than that around here. Like I said, you should check by the docks."

She had to try hard to avoid showing shock on her face at that price. That's more than 5 times the cost of a standard inn! This place is ridiculous! "We'll take a room." She reached into her bag and called up the required amount. She sat 3 gold 100 GP coins on the table and one silver 50 GP coin next to them. 

The look of surprise on the man's face was satisfying to see and he snapped his fingers after taking the money, calling out a boy who looked to be around her supposed age who led them to their room. Once inside she slammed the door in the boy's face and sat down on the lavish bed. 

"What's the plan now, fearless leader?" Poro-tan said in a mocking voice. 

Irritated by his insolence she caused him some pain for a few seconds. Poro-tan needs to learn to watch his tongue! "Megu's thinking. Just shut up and stand in the corner over there." She pointed.

There were few people in the world who held her hatred more than the nobility. They always looked down their noses at people and treated them as though they were less than dirt. She then had a brilliant idea to cause just enough of a commotion to get out of town. It would take some delicate maneuvering, though. She took out a piece of paper and wrote on it in preparation.

"Poro-tan, wait here."

Megumi went downstairs to the lobby and after wandering around a little she found her target: the boy. She flirted with him some and got all the information she needed out of him, and then exited the inn and roamed down the street until she found her target destination. 

A large set of gates blocked her path, but there weren't any guards or anything. She was able to sneak inside the compound of Lord Blum's estate with ease. Once inside, she crept up to the manor and peeked in through a side window. Megu's in luck! The target was sitting alone in what appeared was a study, reading a book. It had to be the right guy, he fit the description she had received perfectly. She pulled out her staff and stepped back a few feet, aiming before releasing a Eldritch Blast straight through the large window and into the man who died instantly.

She pulled the piece of paper out of her bag and signed the bottom, "Compliments of Lord Istar." and dropped it through the window as she heard the sound of thudding boots running towards the study. She kept low and snuck out of the compound before anyone even knew she was there. She calmly walked down the street looking innocent with a wide, satisfied smile on her face. With a few more well-placed nudges, all she would have to do is watch as chaos ensued and the town tore itself apart.