"What do retainers get up to?" Mara Zune pondered as she watched her retainer Madaline slink off with two freshly minted ventures clasped in her hands...

Madaline rushed through the undergrowth, the wind blowing the ears of her Spriggan Cap against her back as she made her way through the farmlands of La Noscea. She had heard that one of the shards of Dalamud that had pierced its way into Hydaelyn was close by in Eastern La Noscea and that it still held remnants of Allagan technology. Not wanting to venture the dangers of the jungle and risk being devoured like a handful of lalafells by a Goobbue, Madaline decided to aim for Costa Del Sol; maybe there she could find a way to reach the coil.

The picturesque Costa Del Sol loomed into view. She had heard that Master Gegeruju, the owner was a selfish lalafell who cared for nothing other than money and women; but to get to the coil, she would need use of his ferry. Getting near him however would be tricky as he is only ever close to his dancers and seeking an audience with him would be tough without coin or a business proposal. Madaline sought another way; using her wit and her charm, she managed to get close to him by posing as a new dancer.

She intrigued Gegeruju with her pale skin and blue hair as he sat there captivated by her powerful dance. As she finished her routine, Gegeruju granted her passage, and she carried on toward her destination.

Upon landing at the ferry port on the other side, Madaline made her way along the sparse edges of the jungle and arrived at Castrum Occidens. Since the Warrior of Light's raid on the castrum and the coil itself, the patrols were limited, enabling Madaline to slip past with relative ease. The gaping maw that was the entrance to the shard lay before her eyes as she snuck through the final gateway, avoiding a couple of Garlean Vanguards patrolling outside.

"This is it." she thought, striding into the entrance with her bow drawn. The place still crackled with mysterious energy even though the machinery itself had been shut down, most likely caused by the corrupted crystals engulfing the shard. The floor was littered with the corpses of Allagan monstrosities with a few dragoon corpses here and there. If she was correct she would find the materials where Caduceus fell. There were a few creatures left but with a whiz from her bow they fell with ease, clearing the way to her prizes. Much to her dismay however, the silk was nowhere to be seen and the only leather was torn to bits with Allagan Silver pieces scattered across the ground.

Picking the silver pieces up, Madaline made her way home, using her ventures to buy a gift for her mistress as an apology, hoping Mara would understand.

"Wonder how it went..." thought Mara as she rang the bell. "Not another fish!"

Character: Mara Zune
World: Tonberry
Prize: Scarf of Wondrous Wit