Return to Jorgaldur Volume III: blood warrior

Mercenaries (II)

After getting up, Gjaki couldn't help but blush at the sight of the semi-transparent nightgown on the floor of the room. To wear it had taken all her will, but it had been worth it. Just Chornakish's flustered red face had been compensation enough. Not to mention what had come after it.

She kissed his forehead, careful not to wake him up. At least, that day she hadn't bitten him in her sleep, though she couldn't say the same for the pillow. It now had two little holes.

She would have wanted to relax in the enormous bathroom of the mansion, with the more than probable company of Diknsa and Coinin, and surely some more. However, she had work to do. Therefore, she took a quick shower in her castle-tent.

She parted the curtains a little to check that it was still an hour or two before sunset. Although she was already able to walk during the day, she still felt more comfortable at night. Not just out of habit, but because some of her abilities were more efficient then.

She summoned the Gate, though before stepping through it, she glanced once more at the young cat-man, or panther. He was sleeping peacefully, after a morning of passion. She blushed at the memory, and decided to cross as soon as possible. If not, she would have a harder time leaving.

On the other side of the Gate, there was a room closed from the inside. It was empty, except for the gate mark on the ground, and some Self-Destruct traps. If anyone entered, they would explode, and take the Gate with them. It was a bit drastic, but it made sure she wasn't set up. At least, not right out of the Gate.

She opened the door, alert. Although she didn't expect any danger there, it never hurt to take precautions. She was prepared to react to whatever might happen. However, she was only met by two mercenaries, who straightened up as the door opened.

"Welcome back. There're five new bloodsuckers," one of them greeted her.

Gjaki smiled wryly behind the scarf that covered her face. She was also a bloodsucker, although the mercenaries were unaware of it, except for their boss.

"Hello. I'll go now to check them. Do you know where Lulorha is?" the vampiress asked.

"She came back a while ago. She must be in her room, or in the tavern," the other mercenary answered.

"Great. I'll see if I can find her later."

All the mercenaries treated her with great respect. She wasn't only their client, and quite a generous one, but their boss had claimed that she was stronger than any of them, or their previous clients. No doubt strength was something that all mercenaries respected

She entered the room, where there were only those five. The others had been taken to another room, some to be executed, depending on whether the vampiress considered them hopeless or not.

The only reason the doomed were still alive was so as not to give clues to their enemies. Perhaps, others wouldn't have felt comfortable playing judge and executioner, but not her, despite her age, and coming from a much more peaceful world.

The exact reason for that she didn't know. Perhaps, because of being a vampiress. Perhaps because of being a visitor. Perhaps, because of her experiences in the game. Although, to tell the truth, she didn't worry either.

Bloodline and Bloodlust were more than enough to strike terror into lesser vampires, who weren't entirely loyal to their father, either. The bond forced that loyalty, but the presence of an ancestral vampire diminished the effect markedly.

She didn't get much new information, though she didn't expect it either. She already knew that the count and his people were nervous and scared. In fact, lesser vampires were no longer sent openly to inquire into the city, but secretly deployed to explore the surrounding area.

However, the mercenaries were very efficient in their work, in addition to knowing the terrain perfectly. They had been working for the count for years, before they were dismissed out without a word, without even being paid what he owed them. That made them more motivated, and the vampires had little chance of escaping once they left the mansion.

She untied two, and led them along with others. They were resigned to waiting for this to be over. The other three were taken to another room, tied up and piled with the rest. She then left to find the head of the mercenaries, whom she found coming out of her room. Her winged scouts hadn't seen her around the tavern.

"Oh, you're back! It's just getting dark..." she was surprised. "Anyway, if you come to ask if there's any news, the answer is no. They're still locked up, without letting us see hide nor hair of them, except for those who come out. They're less and less. They must be so scared... Ha, ha. They deserve it!"

The antipathy she felt towards them was patent. More than once, in the past, they had been on the verge of leaving them, and looking for a life elsewhere, but it wasn't easy. All the territories already had the mercenaries they needed, and there would be no more work unless a war started. In fact, they had planned to join another side as soon as it happened.

Although they could go to other kingdoms, they couldn't know what they would find there. There were no major wars at the time, although some were brewing.

The reason for their total lack of loyalty had been the count's stinginess. He had paid them the minimum, and had been always looking for any excuse to reduce their pay. Also, he was a coward, so they felt contempt for him.

Their new client was just the opposite. She not only paid them handsomely, but she was powerful and had the aura of a warrior. In fact, a discreet training match had been enough for the mercenary boss to find out that she not only had power, but also skill and experience. She had earned her respect.

The fact that she paid them even for contingencies without question had been another determining factor. While it's true that she risked being scammed that way, Gjaki wasn't too worried either. She had more than enough money.

In fact, they would still have passed false expenses to others, but not to her. For nothing in the world, did they want to risk losing her trust. Their only concern was that they didn't know what would happen after the job was finished, since the vampiress hadn't promised them anything. She had been quite honest with them.

However, she was paying them enough to have a good cushion. With it, they could look for other jobs without much anxiety.

The mercenary stared at the vampiress. Suddenly, she had fallen silent when she was giving her opinion on a sparring match that they were watching from the window.

"Something has happened in the other county. They've raised the signal," Gjaki reported.