“Alright. Pack your belongings. Before the day is up, I’ll give her the gold. You’re sleeping in my bed tonight.”
4
I pushed a stunned Katya off me, her mouth hung open as if she wanted more. Now, though, I wouldn’t do it, no matter what. I put on my clothes and shot her a parting glance before I left through the door, her ass pointed toward me, the twin lips underneath barely showing, beckoning me.
“Wait--” she called out, but I closed the door behind me and strode toward the madam.
“How much does she still owe you, madam?”
The old crone looked up over her crooked nose, one eye left without a pupil, the other in slightly better shape.
“So, you finally did it, huh?” she whispered. “Very well, a deal is a deal. One hundred ninety gold and she’s all yours. God knows what you see in her, but I can’t care less. She’s damaged goods, no matter how you look at it.”
“Please,” I said more firmly than I had intended, startling the elderly woman. “Don’t talk about her like that. Tonight, she sleeps in my bed. I’ll bring the money later.”
“There are a dozen armed thugs waiting for you outside,” Alpha said, startling me. I closed my eyes and sighed.
“Did you call the thugs? Or is my reputation really not worth shit around here?”
The old woman shrugged.
“You’re wrong. I have no idea what you’re talking about. If I called for anyone, I’d have to share.”
I smiled wickedly and nodded at her.
“Alpha, kill them all.”
A fierce howl filled the air after which screams followed instantly, accompanied by sobs and gurgles. The elderly madam shot up from her rocking chair and stepped up to the balcony. She gasped and looked away.
“By the gods! Your wolf has ripped them into pieces!” she cried.
I shrugged.
“You said they weren’t anything to you, so why worry? Anyway, I think I better leave before the guards arrive. You want your gold still, no?” With that, I dropped from the balcony and landed atop Alpha, whose fur was again snow white.
“Where to?”
“The harbor. Specifically, the guild hall. You’ll know it when you see it.”
I dared one glance at the massacre, but there was nothing left of the thugs. Only blood splattered against the walls and stone floor.
“Don’t ask. I ate all of them,” Alpha replied to the question that ran through my mind. And I didn’t ask. I couldn’t care less. There was only one thing I needed now, and that was to pay Katya’s debt and get her out of there. The release she afforded was more than someone like me deserved, but I would have it. For the rest of my life if possible.
We found ourselves in front of the guild house before I could even clear my thoughts. Alpha jostled me multiple times before I looked up at the castle in the midst of Homitage. A wooden bridge connected the majestic building to the harbor and ended in a massive portcullis. Stone walls encircled the keep, accompanied by a wide moat that kept any would-be attackers outside. The defenders could rain down arrows and death from above and from hidden openings within the walls and towers. Not that anyone would be stupid enough to actually attack the guild, but still, you never know.
"Is this it? Sure smells good," Alpha asked, his nostrils wide open as he sniffed at the air.
"Seriously, is food all you think about?" I sighed. "Anyway, look intimidating, but don’t attack anyone. Once we’re done, you can eat… wait a second. You just ate that Jarok thing and a dozen men. How the hell can you still eat?”
Alpha turned his snout toward me, his eyes finding mine.
“I’m using excessive amounts of food, just to keep up with my growth. A hundred pounds of meat and I think I’ll have enough for a while.”
I sighed and shook my head.
“Fuck that. You can eat whatever monster we kill outside. You’re too expensive to keep around.”
“Whatever. I get the feeling that you want to get back to that… Katya human. And I need more food. Hurry up.”
“The fuck is wrong with you? Just where did you get your snarky character from, you damn mutt!?”
“You. We’re two halves of a whole, remember?”
“As if I could ever forget that. Fucking wolf.”
The guild room was very crowded. There wasn’t a single empty table left. Some drank mead, while others ate. I walked in and slammed the door behind me on purpose to draw attention. It worked, as the noise died down in a second. All eyes were glued to the wolf and me, as we proudly strode toward the counter.
"The food here smells good. Can we eat something when you’re done?" Alpha asked as his nostrils flared up. The sight of my new companion was quite amusing if you could get over the fact that he was huge and very dangerous.
"We’ll see. If they don’t attack us, we might as well eat something," I thought back and stepped up to the counter.
"I would like to exchange these items," I said and put down my bag, filled to the brim with Greptodon pieces. The clerk looked at me in bewilderment, as if I was there to kill or rob him. His gaze wandered only for a fleeting moment toward Alpha and turned toward the door to his left.
“Excuse me,” he said and disappeared behind the door quicker than a hare.
"Did you look at him funny, my big bad wolf?"
Alpha growled softly in reply.
"No, I didn't. Why would I look at him funny? He barely has any meat on his bones. Not tasty at all I reckon," Alpha replied.
I chuckled and patted him on the head.
The clerk didn’t let us wait long and rushed toward us with a burly man walking behind him. He was corpulent, but not to the point that it bothered him in everyday activities. His mustache was ink black, ending in sharp points that seemed to rise up to his bald, glistening head.
"Master Kane, what a surprise to see you today, and with a new... companion at that," the thickset man said as he offered his hand to me.
"Would you mind paying me for the items without any of this theater? I’m kind of in a hurry. Unless something’s changed since yesterday?”
The manager smiled sheepishly, not quite able to hide his surprise at the question.
"Of course nothing’s changed. Please, follow us into the back room so we can conclude our business in a more… private manner. After all, we’re talking about a lot of money here,” he added in a whisper.
I nodded but felt an unease stir within me. Something felt off about this guy. I barely knew him, as I never had the pleasure of delivering such a high-quality item, but his demeanor seemed off.
"Stay there and prevent anyone from going in after us. If you see suspicious movement or behavior, let me know immediately."
Alpha turned around and positioned himself next to the door, observing the noisy crowd. They began talking loudly again as the door closed behind me, with the main topic being the magnificent wolf.
"Please, take a seat," the manager offered in a husky voice as he walked around the large oak table. He took two of the glasses from the display stand and poured an orange liquid into both of them, two fingers deep.
"What kind is it?" I asked and sniffed the drink. The manager sat across from me and raised his glass.
"It’s called Raki, and it’s very strong. People use it for special occasions mostly, like this one. The item you brought back is quite valuable."
I put on a fake smile and nodded.
"Yes, the monster was quite formidable, but it died after a short struggle."
The fat man seemed to mull the short reply over and returned an equally fake smile.
"I see. It’s a good thing you killed it yourself, otherwise we might have confiscated the item. A lot of travelers have shown up with stolen goods. We don’t wish to do business with their sort."
I chuckled and drank the Raki.
"Maybe you would like to see me or my wolf in action up close? If not, I’d like to get this show over with. I’ve got more important things to attend to."
<
br /> “No problems here. I just need to go over everything with you, since you’re the seller. It’s just a formality, no? The request is a thousand gold coins for the item, after all.”
“Right. That’s only for the marrow, however. I’ve got quite a number of gems as well if you--”
“No, that won’t be necessary,” he said, cutting me off. I frowned angrily, but he didn’t seem fazed. “I’ll get you your money if you can show me the item.”
I sighed and took off my backpack. The blood dripped down onto the table as I took out the Greptodont Marrow and placed it before the man. His eyes opened wide as if he hadn’t actually believed me.
“Satisfied?” I asked, my gaze steely.
The man flinched but recovered quickly. He got up from his chair and almost ran up to the wall where he opened a hidden trapdoor, revealing a safe. I looked away after he glanced over at me, and could hear the mechanism open.
“You should count it all here, my good man. I don’t want anyone to think us cheaters, here at the guild, I mean.”
I looked at him blankly, but took one of the bags from him and put it in front of me. I stopped and thought about the marrow. The usual price was anywhere from five to eight hundred gold, if it’s in perfect shape. Just who was the benefactor who was willing to pay quite a bit more, and knew that I’d be going out onto the plains today?
"If you have to eat someone today, it has to be this fatso. He creeps me out," I thought. An inward snicker was the only reply I got.
The man licked his lips as if he was the sole owner of all the money.
"Is something the matter? Your heartbeat just doubled in speed," Alpha asked. A sense of security flooded me as I took one of the bags and emptied the contents onto the large table.
"Yes, everything’s alright. This guy is freaking me out, though, and there is a lot of money in front of me, it’s only natural to get excited. Don’t worry. If I need you, I’ll call."
The bag held exactly five hundred pieces of gold. I stashed them away again and took the second bag. I placed it next to the first and thought I’d seen movement in the bag. For a long moment, I looked intently at the bag, but everything seemed fine. It must have been my paranoia acting up.
I opened the second bag and froze. A hissing sound made my blood run cold. I tried to peek into the bag, only to spot three snakes slithering out of it. I could see from the color that I was in a world of trouble. All three were very venomous.
The first snake launched itself at me, spitting its venom in mid-air. It caught me on the shoulder and not in the eyes, thankfully. The door beside me crashed open as Alpha used his power to force it open and lunged at the snake. His teeth snapped close around the it.
“Don’t worry, it can’t kill me,” Alpha said and turned toward the other snakes.
I got out my hidden dagger and slashed at the second snake that had come for me and sliced it in two with ease. The third, an emerald green snake, seemed to observe us for a long moment, then turned towards the fat manager and darted at him. It bit his neck, killing him before he could even try to defend himself. Once the venom was injected, especially near the brain, death was quick to follow.
A squad of heavily armed guards stormed into the room, weapons raised and ready to do battle. I sat back quietly and sipped at the drink the manager had poured me.
"Do you want me to kill them?" Alpha asked as he placed himself between the guards and me. He could easily take them out, I had no doubts about that, but it wasn’t in my interest to make a scene here. I rather liked the harbor town and enjoyed living here even more.
"No, we wait and see how this turns out. If I was set up, they would be more than happy if things got violent. But if they’re just doing their jobs, we take them out without killing anyone and flee."
"Sure, but I will have you know that I’m still really hungry. You would do well to feed me." I sighed inwardly and observed the guards. A man I recognized walked through the door and stepped past me without even so much as making eye contact. With a single strike, he cut off the snake’s head which had bound itself around the dead manager’s neck. It was constantly injecting the venom, as if it had been drugged by it.
"What in God’s name is that?" the man said as he walked over towards a large cabinet. Behind it, barely visible, was afoot that stuck out just an inch. "Guild master?!" the guard yelled as he pulled the unconscious man upright. "Take him to the infirmary, quickly!"
It was so like the captain of the guild’s defense force to see what others would have missed. The guild’s forces numbered about a hundred active members and were significantly more capable than the regular city guard. They were easily worth 2 or 3 city guardsmen each.
“We need to have a little chat, Kane,” he said and nodded toward the door. I sighed but obeyed his instructions, and followed the captain outside.
5
"Captain, am I under arrest?" I asked as we sat down in the barracks. The captain scrutinized me with his brown, battle-worn eyes. He needed only a minute with someone to know if they spoke the truth or not. How lucky it was that I had bribed him a couple of times previously.
"No, you’re not. I would, however, like to provide you with food and drink until we can talk to the guild master and hear his side of the story." My right eyebrow shot up in surprise. The captain had caught me off guard for the first time since we’d met, pleasantly so. In the meantime, Alpha would get his fill, if they would accommodate our request. I would pay them, after all.
Half an hour passed in silence. Two guards stood by the door as the attendants served food, drink and fetched three living Jaroks for Alpha. The room wasn’t lavishly furnished, but it was still good enough to set a standard. Heavy wooden tables and chairs were set up in rows, as cabinets and closets lined the walls. The attendants wore clothes of much higher quality than what I’d seen when we entered Homitage.
The large wooden door swung open just as I got a drink refill. The captain and the guild master walked in side by side, a smile gracing the older man’s face. He wore a bright orange robe, adorned with the guild’s emblem embroidered just above his heart.
"You’re doing a good job of frightening people," I said. “He hasn’t even noticed you.” Alpha snickered and lay on his back, feet up.
“Scratch my belly.”
“As if!” I snapped at the wolf and slapped him playfully.
The elderly guild master laughed weakly as he looked at the wolf and then back at me. He didn’t seem to be put out by Alpha in the least.
"Quite the amusing companion you have there, young Kane," the guild master said and offered his hand. "I see that the food was to your liking. It’s the least we could do for the service you rendered us."
"No need for any praise, guild master. I was here to collect money, not to save anyone. Though I’m honestly glad it was that fat pig that died and not me. Or you, for that matter. Speaking of which, how the hell did he get those snakes inside of the building? The magical dome should have triggered an alarm upon noticing anything but a human walking in.”
“Just like it didn’t activate as your companion there waltzed in beside you. I know, the captain came as soon as he heard about it. In fact, he arrived just as the wolf crashed through the door. "
"In any case, I hope that you have restored the dome. There’s a lot of fine men and women making a living here. I’d hate to see them harmed.”
“Yes, yes indeed,” the guild master said, laughing merrily. His lower chin wobbled with every movement. It wasn’t like he was fat, but old age had stretched his skin out and dyed his hair grey.
“On behalf of the guild, please accept my apologies for detaining you, but it was something that needed to be done. Nonetheless, I will strive to do even better from now on," the captain interrupted and offered his hand.
“No hard feelings, captain. You were just doing your job, and I have nothing to complain about.”
“I think you should know that we just found the real manager’s body
as well, dropped outside of the building, into the moat. To me, it looks like they were targeting you, personally.”
"I see," was all I could say as I dropped my fork, still with some meat on it, and let it fall onto the table. “That’s quite disheartening, to put it mildly. Though I can make you one guarantee, guild master, they will pay with their lives. Be sure of it.”
"You going to eat that?" Alpha asked as he raised his head. I slapped the piece of meat toward him and turned back to the captain. “I reckon you don’t have anything against me holding onto my money?”
The guild master chuckled as he nodded once.
"Of course not. The perpetrator seems to have brought his own, as our vault is more or less intact. Though the marrow alone shouldn’t go for much more than seven hundred. Whatever the case, the gold is yours. Feel free to leave with it and spend it as you see fit."
“Very well. You can keep the marrow. It won’t rot if you take care of it,” I said and got up to leave.
"You know what, I think there’s still some room left in my belly. Care to buy me that meat you promised me earlier?" I couldn’t help but scowl at the wolf.
"You still have room after all you had today?" I hissed and shut my mouth, catching myself talking out loud with my companion. As if on cue, the guild master put his hands up.
"We heard nothing. Please, don’t trouble yourself."
"I wouldn’t even think to do so, but please keep it to yourself, guild master. I don’t want anyone to know about this."
"You have my word, young hunter. Though I’m quite fascinated, to say the least. A mental link between a companion and their master could mean only one thing. Oh, how exciting! Please, promise me that you’ll bring him to me when you have the time. I would like to talk to you some more, and him, of course."
I smiled back at the old man and nodded. I could feel that he’d been genuine, so what harm could it be if I did tell him about Alpha and me? I’ve known him for a while, though we’ve never really been close.
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