War God for Hire- Mercenary: A Reincarnation, Cultivation, Litrpg Adventure

by David Burke

  He pushed back his name to her and again felt the resonance. Then he could feel the weariness within her. It was to be expected. He had moved a great deal of energy through her. He pulled his consciousness back to within himself and realized his hands were no longer on Hilde’s face. He had been holding them against her abdomen, where she carried the child.

  The two of them stared at one another for a long time. Tears ran down Hilde’s face, but Kyle knew it wasn’t tears of sorrow. Neither felt the need to say anything as they basked in each other’s presence. Finally, she said, “Thank you… Thank you for that. I felt her. And more than that, I felt your care for her. You are so strong, I was worried, but I could feel your love.”

  “Not just for Gli, but also for her mother.”

  “Gli?”

  “She told me her name is Glitendre, but that’s too much of a mouthful. To me, she shall always be Gli,” Kyle answered.

  After that the two of them sat upon the floor. She was cradled in his arms, and her wings were spread out like a cocoon around them. Kyle spoke to her about his observations about raw essence. He helped to infuse Hilde with more of the orange essence he had seen, and that seemed to strengthen her.

  All good things must come to an end, though. “I have to leave.”

  “But I don’t want you to,” Kyle said.

  “I must. Whatever you have done has helped to temporarily seal my essence channels so I can handle more raw essence, but eventually it will overflow again. Next time we might not be so lucky. What if I explode and destroy the entire building?” She clutched his hand, still cupping her cheek. “You would survive, and so might some of the others, but the mortals would be killed.”

  “Where can you go, that will be safe?” Kyle asked, even though he knew the answer.

  “I must return to my people. I know my time is not complete, but my people will see this child as a great honor. They would die to the last ember to prevent harm from coming to her. She will be the pride of my people. And I can have another celestial sent to attend to your needs, per Krig’s contract with my people,” Hilde said.

  She spoke slowly, as if thinking it through or perhaps because she was finally admitting something she had known for some time.

  “I don’t want another celestial.” Kyle shook his head. “I am strong enough now, so it is not necessary. You will be doing what I want by going and by keeping our child safe. Actually, perhaps I should come with you.”

  “No!” Hilde exclaimed.

  Kyle only stared at her, waiting for her to explain herself.

  “I mean no disrespect, My Lord. I only mean that it would not be good for you to present yourself before my people before you are at your full, divine power. There are moments when you seem to almost be there, but then others that I see the mortal you were not so long ago. Your covenant with my people is based upon your strength.”

  “I understand. I don’t like it. But I understand.” He paused before continuing. “How long will you be gone for? Err… rather, how long will it take for you to give birth?”

  “Normally, my people give birth within four years of conception, but during the last year or so, we are fairly stable, if weakened, while the child forms a physical body.”

  It was Kyle’s turn to exclaim then. “Four years?! That is far too long to be apart from you.”

  She lowered her eyes. “I don’t mean to displease you, My Lord.”

  “Enough with this ‘My Lord’ crap. You are carrying my child. You have been inside my head, and we have been as close as any two beings can be. Please stop worrying about upsetting me. I only mean that I will miss you but know that you must do what will be safest for you and for Gli.”

  “If it is any consolation, I wouldn’t be surprised if whatever you just did there cut a few years off her development. She feels like she is much more concentrated that she was before.” The fire celestial sighed.

  “I’ve obviously never had a child before, but perhaps some of our elders will be able to advise me,” Hilde said.

  “Okay, do you need to take anything with you?”

  “Just a kiss from you. Then, if you wouldn’t mind opening the space through the void, I would appreciate it. My power is not as stable or reliable now as I would like, to attempt something so dangerous.”

  “Of course.” He stood, pulled her to her feet and then took her in his arms. The two shared a kiss, first gentle, then passionate before ending up at gentle again.

  With a flick of his power, he opened a portal through the void for her. He expended an abundance of power to clear a path for her, using the image she held in her mind of her home plane as an anchor. He learned that traveling from plane to plane was not the same as traveling from universe to universe. He only needed to go through the fringe of the void, not fully into its emptiness.

  He was glad of that fact, as he didn’t want either of his girls to be harmed. Still, he was so focused on her departure that he didn’t notice when a sliver of smokey blackness leaked from the portal and quickly disappeared into the shadows clustered in the corner of the room.

  Chapter 8 - Hobnobbing

  After Hilde disappeared into the portal, Kyle took a moment to compose himself before heading back downstairs. Judging from the fact that everyone had left the meeting, he must have taken longer with Hilde than he’d realized.

  Well, almost everyone was gone. He felt a flicker of movement behind him and spun around to find Lady Meeka there. She smiled, as though pleased to have him looking at her.

  “I almost didn’t hear you there. You’re pretty stealthy for a noblewoman,” Kyle said.

  “Ah, but I had to fight to restore my house’s name and position. I’ve had to pick up many skills over the years. Did the Celestial not come back down with you?” Lady Meeka asked.

  Something about how she said the word ‘celestial’ put Kyle on edge. He stared at her more closely. His extra senses brushed up against her while he wondered if there wasn’t something more to her. All he could detect, though, was a mortal woman nearly devoid of essence. It didn’t seem likely that she was some mage hiding in plain sight in hopes of … well, he didn’t really know what a mage might hope to gain from him.

  “No,” he frowned, missing Hilde already. “She has departed for a while.”

  Meeka nodded to herself before saying, “I trust all is well with her. If you have time, there are other matters that need your attention.”

  “Of course. Where did everyone else get to?”

  “We discussed an assortment of issues for several hours, but it became clear that you weren’t going to return anytime soon. Your Lycan friend eventually began to regale us with stories about your stamina, and the others suddenly all found it more important that they get started on their various tasks.”

  Kyle chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, did she now?”

  “It gave me even more reason to want to hold you to your promise,” she all but purred with a wink.

  He looked at the way she bit her lip. It was ever so enticing. Something about her made it hard to think. Kyle focused on the spinning of his essence wheel for a few seconds till the urge to grab her and bend her over the table passed.

  When he didn’t respond to her flirting, she pouted. “You haven’t forgotten your promise, have you?”

  “No. I’ll keep my word. But you will recall, I said it would only be when the time was right and there is still much, I need to accomplish. Now is hardly that time,” Kyle said as he waved his hand around, indicating the wide-open room with the large meeting table and its multiple chairs.

  Lady Meeka’s smile dimmed a bit as she looked at the room. She walked around him, slowly trailing her fingers across his back. Then, she leaned over the table and wiggled her hips at him enticingly.

  “Oh? I’m not bashful. Besides, do you see anyone else around? No one would care.”

  “I would care,” he growled. “And I believe you said I had to be willing.”


  His words didn’t match his physical reaction, though. The picture before him was just about what he’d wanted to do to her minutes ago. He could certainly appreciate the view and little Kyle was willing. He took a deep breath.

  She spun around and pulled herself up onto the edge of the table, exposing an incredible amount of creamy thigh. Her outfits of late had each become more revealing than the last. Maybe it was because he hadn’t around her much lately. What with being out on jobs most of the time, he had barely seen her the past couple of weeks. Whatever the reason, though, he was intensely aware of just how desirable she was now.

  The tender love he had felt for Hilde just a short time ago dimmed before the hot flame of desire he felt at this moment. He peered at her intently. Memories of the time in her office came to his mind.

  Back then, he hadn’t had the abilities he did now. He was almost certain she was using some type of essence ability on him, yet he couldn’t detect it. He saw faint threads of pink and gray essence in the air. Not the washed-out gray of raw essence, but the shadowy gray of Deceit Essence, just as the pink was Lust Essence. Was it possible that she was doing this without even meaning to? He focused again on the spinning of his essence wheel, and all the strands disappeared as though they had never been there.

  She growled something under her breath. “Twice now I’ve offered myself to you, and twice you’ve turned me down.”

  The noble beauty pursed her lips. “You know, that is two more times than any other man has ever turned me down.”

  “I’m sorry, Lady Meeka,” he said, putting an emphasis on her title. “I know you are used to getting your way, but here, I rule. I appreciate your aid—I truly do. You have a knack for efficiency and organization; we wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much as we have, without your assistance. But that doesn’t change the fact that I am the one in charge.”

  She snorted. “Only appointed to be chapter head today and already talking about ruling?” Meeka mused. She appeared to be genuinely pleased with that observation.

  “I don’t care who the chapter head is. It was never about that—this is my team. But you are right… soon this will be my city. It will make a decent base of operations.”

  “I do so like a man who takes charge.” Her smile was still rather predatory. “Just remember that we have an agreement.”

  She shook her head and sighed. “But I can wait.”

  Kyle frowned. The stubborn woman made it seem like it was her choice and not his stubbornness that had them still talking instead of him trying to break her on the table. Well, maybe they’d just break the table in two… he shook his head, trying to focus.

  “Now though,” she continued, “we need to talk about what it is going to take, to make this city yours.”

  She paused. “Please don’t go saying that to the Governor, though, when you meet him, no matter how true it is. These people have ways of doing things and it requires more skill to work within the system than to simply smash your way through it.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  She arched an eyebrow. “Surely you can appreciate a challenge like that.”

  “Yes, I can appreciate a challenge.” Kyle stared at her for a moment. “So, what did you have in mind?”

  “Well, first, how do you like what I’ve done with the guildhall?”

  “As I said, I appreciate everything you have done. I will defer to Saber to let you know what the hall requires, but you may use your discretion as to how to accomplish that. Results are what matter. I will say that I like the larger bed. It is nice to have space to stretch my legs,” Kyle replied.

  “I’m glad that you are pleased with the bed.” She grinned again. “Now, you just need to let me in it.”

  Waving a hand, she got back to business. “You have done a great deal to increase the reputation of your team with the city. Everything from killing those trolls to the attack by the glytharen on the day that we arrived has made you the most mysterious and talked about figure in the city. The Governor has been asking for a meeting with you. Both he and the city’s head mage want to meet you, but I put them off until we had a chance to talk.”

  “Oh really? I suppose you have some advice about how I should handle such a conversation, then.” He could tell that she was leading him to something, but since he wasn’t resisting there was no need for coercion.

  “I’m glad to see that you will listen to reason... on some things, at least.” She smiled. “I don’t have any idea how to fight like you do, but I know a thing or two about political maneuvering. The main thing I want you to keep in mind, is that they need you much more than you need them.”

  She smirked and then shrugged. “But it is important to all leaders to keep up the appearance that they are the ones doing you a favor.”

  “Sounds pretty much like back where I’m from,” he grunted.

  For a second, that seemed to throw her off but then she tilted her head to the side and said, “I’m sure it applies to most anywhere.”

  “And how do we make that happen?” Kyle asked.

  “Simple. The Governor has set up a luncheon. I was actually worried that you were going to spend so long with the Celestial that I would have to make excuses for you—again.” She shrugged. “This is the third such event he has set up to honor the Sacred Destiny adventuring company. You can bet that most of the noble houses will have someone there, as well as any of the major merchant houses, and some of the mages.”

  “Nargossa is small enough though that it won’t be overwhelming. And by making it a luncheon, rather than a formal dinner, he is trying to imply a greater level of connection with you… dare I say, intimacy.” She made the last word sound positively lewd.

  “You still haven’t told me how you think I should respond.”

  “Just be yourself. Don’t let them think they have one up on you. If it’s okay with you, I planned on coming with you. You will shock and put them on edge, and then I will negotiate with them and secure the best terms for us. If all goes well, we will have them begging to hire us. Then, when you prove they can’t live without us, we will be in a position to take more and more control of the city,” Meeka said.

  “Hmm… I don’t know if we have enough time to play the long game. Something about these undead attacks has me worried.”

  “There have been undead forever,” she replied. “Up until the cataclysm, they were mostly confined to Dungeons and such, but we’ve been dealing with undead attacks on the surface for three years now.”

  “I can’t go into it, but I have reason to believe that something is changing. Just call it a…” Kyle paused. “Call it a premonition, if you will.”

  “We still need to start with this.”

  “Fine,” he grunted. “Just tell me when you are ready to go.”

  “We have a little over an hour before we need to leave. That was why I suggested a little distraction.” She pouted again and his put-upon sigh, before perking up with a wide smile, tapping her finger against her lips.

  “But maybe you are right,” Meeka said, her finger held at the side of her very full and somehow moist lips. “It wouldn’t be nearly enough time to properly savor our first time together.”

  Kyle shook his head. “Well, I am going to train out back for a bit then.”

  “Uh, you should probably get dressed. For my plan to work, it will be better if you are in full armor when we go... the more impressive the better.”

  “Impressive you say? Okay, I can do that.”

  With that in mind, Kyle walked back up to his room. He had learned last night with Kierra that he could remove his armor just by exercising his will and spending a bit of raw essence, and his essence reserves were at an all-time high. The pendant from Hav truly was a godsend.

  He chuckled at the thought. No one else here appreciated his jokes. That didn’t mean he couldn’t laugh at his own pun.

  Then a thought occurred to him, and he summoned h
is soul bound weapon. It appeared in the last form that he had used it. The long bladed naginata was an impressive weapon. It had impressive reach and a powerful cutting edge with which he could take advantage of his massive strength.

  But it could also take other shapes. With a thought he caused it to flicker between naginata, the long lance he had used against Barak, and its original war hammer form he had instinctively created from the pickaxe. He studied the essence that flowed from him into the weapon. It had its own rather impressive reserves of power but would only respond to his essence.

  It was keyed to him.

  Back into its naginata form, he swung the weapon wide in a horizontal slash, slicing through the air. He saw something more . He’d noticed it in the fight with Barak, but while fighting for your life, you tend not to get distracted by all the minutiae. His blade was literally cutting through the air when he swung it. Not as in it was parting the space, but it was cutting through the sky essence that permeated the atmosphere.