The sudden arrival of Madam Yue was the final punctuation mark on their period of rest. The very air in her dimly lit establishment, usually reserved for quiet deals, now felt charged with the urgency of Imperial war.
The trio met her in the back room of the tavern, the smell of stale ale and pipe smoke heavy in the air. The setting was Crimson Valley, Madam Yue's establishment.
Madam Yue did not bother with pleasantries. She laid a thick, rolled-up parchment secured with a foreign seal onto the table. "The Shadow Clan is still tracking you, Kael. But their eyes are focused north and south of the valley. Their vengeance is patient. Your problem now lies entirely to the west."
Madam Yue presented the mission: a Western Empire border conflict.
"The Western Empire is currently bleeding go
