War God for Hire- Gladiator

by David Burke

  Kyle sized up the two guards next to Soren. He decided since they were barely paying attention to anyone other than the poor flesh mage that he could finish them off before they even had a chance to react. Hilde’s voice broke into his mind, “If you do this, then we will have to run. Are you ready for that?”

  He thought back to her, “Good to hear from you. I seem to pass out way too often.”

  “Yeah, I think the strain of summoning me in the flesh was too much. But I was glad to clean up your mess for you. You need to practice more often, because it was fun getting to touch you in the flesh, even if you were unconscious. I have never minded letting a man lay on his back while I did all the work,” the celestial replied.

  Kyle knew that she was being seductive on purpose to distract him from his murderous intent, and damn if it wasn’t working. “I guess I don’t have to listen to his whining anymore, but mark my words. I am gonna put that man in his place at some point.”

  Then as he walked out of the infirmary, while being eyed by the guards, he asked her, “So what happened while I was playing Sleeping Beauty?”

  “Nothing much. I finished what you started. The monster was grievously wounded, and I just burnt it up from the inside. Then Lash and I had a pleasant conversation.”

  “Somehow, I doubt that. First off, you didn’t get hurt fighting that thing, did you?” Kyle asked.

  There was a pause and Kyle could feel uncertainty ripple through Hilde. “No, it never even got an attack off on me.”

  It was hard to say without verbal clues and non-verbal communication, but Kyle felt uneasy about her tone. “Is something wrong?”

  There it was again, that same pause. “No, I just don’t get it. The first thing you ask about is if I’m okay. Don’t you want a summary of the battle? Don’t you want to know any intel I learned about the monster you fought or its minions?”

  “Yeah, of course, but you don’t stop to watch game film before finding out if your teammate is okay. Your wellbeing means more to me than any status report. Trust me, though, we are gonna kick the ass of the next one of those things we run across.”

  “I don’t know whether to be furious with you for leading me on, or to feel sorry for you that you just don’t get it yet,” Hilde replied.

  “If you speak in riddles, then how am I supposed to know what it is I’m saying that upsets you?” Kyle asked. In his experience, he often didn’t realize when he had lost a woman’s interest. It was something he would have to work at harder in this life. The thing was, the more attentive he tried to be towards Hilde, the more frustrated she seemed to become.

  Then in what Kyle would have called typical fashion for all too many of his girlfriends in the past, Hilde said, “Never mind, it isn’t important. I will fill you in on the details later. For now, we should talk about what the plan is.”

  He was tempted to push but decided not to. “I don’t know that anything has changed. We wait to be sold, I guess.” Kyle infused the word with all the disdain that he felt for the practice of slavery.

  “And then?”

  “I guess we join whatever team they put us on and get some more training in. Do you not think that is a good plan any longer?”

  “The stronger you get, the less benefit you will gain from these mortal fighters. Tonight, you fought monsters and did fine. Well, even. At this pace, a few more weeks and you will be so strong as to make these games a joke. I honestly didn’t expect you to be able to summon me for several more months. You are a natural,” Hilde said.

  “Well, I’ll take the praise, but some of this is just coming instinctually. I need to be able to do more of it on command,” Kyle replied.

  “You are starting to get there. You called on your Rage Burst and Earth Armor pretty easily. You are also starting to use War Essence to enhance your movements and strikes without thinking about it. Since you touched your mantle, your growth has improved exponentially.”

  “Maybe it’s because I have such a great teacher,” Kyle said.

  “Well thank you, m’lord…” Hilde began.

  “Whaddya mean? I was talking about Saber.” Kyle held his laughter for a minute but then burst out.

  “I’m greatly sorry if my instruction has been lacking,” Hilde replied. He could almost see her prostrating herself on the ground like she had before.

  “Dang it, Hilde. You are awesome. Yeah, Saber is helpful, but the only reason I’m getting anywhere is because of you. But it’s no fun to tease you if you don’t develop a sense of humor.”

  “Ah, I think I understand. But the truth remains, you would have gained all of this inevitably. It is your destiny. I can only help you along.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. Either way, thanks. I want you to accept that I appreciate you. This new subservience isn’t nearly as much fun. I used to complain about you busting my balls, but now I’d rather have that,” Kyle said.

  “Oh, I would never try to strike your testicles,” Hilde said, a sense of embarrassment coming through with her words.

  “I thought you understood the meaning of my words, the context behind them rather than just the words.”

  “Most of the time I do, but sometimes your expressions are so bizarre I can’t figure them out. Especially if they can mean more than one thing,” Hilde replied.

  “Never mind. Do you think that we should simply escape now? I do trust your judgment,” Kyle said.

  “Partially, but if we are going to stay here, then I think you need to start gathering followers. At first your followers will be mortal, but that will change as your power manifests more.”

  “Wouldn’t Marie be a logical choice then?” Kyle asked the question knowing full well he was going to get a reaction from Hilde. He just wanted to know if she had a bias against the former war god’s servant or if there was a rational basis.

  “Hmmm… You will need to be careful with her. Sure, she is strong, skilled, and experienced, but her allegiance can’t be certain. I wasn’t able to discern if she has any mixed allegiances. She seemed to have some anger towards you, but also was shocked that you were back. I just don’t know if she surrendered to one of your siblings, though. The word was that Begaer was making an effort to convert your virgin battle maidens into her own twisted form of whore warriors.” Hilde’s tone was slow and deliberate as she spoke.

  “But if she is faithful, then wouldn’t she be an invaluable resource? And honestly, if she was Krig’s servant, don’t we owe something to her?” Kyle asked.

  “I keep telling you that you are a god, one of the creators and sustainers of this entire world. You don’t owe anything to anyone. In fact, it is probably time that you bring the elf to heel. You already began to impart a divine splinter to her. You need to confirm her loyalty and then activate it.

  “You have a much better way of reeling her in than Krig ever had, and she seems more than willing. She already has as much as offered herself to you. I’ve seen the way you look at her. So why not claim a potentially valuable servant? At least if you can awaken her sorcerous bloodline. After the other day, I know you enjoy that sort of thing.”

  “Okay, that is enough. I want your counsel, but I’m not going to talk about using anyone. I will forge a team. Yes, I will be the team captain, but I want a team of people who want to be here. I want you, and not just in that way and not just because I need your help. Do you understand?” Kyle demanded.

  “As you wish. But please take the elf and turn her to your side. It might be advisable to do the same with the lycan.”

  “And are you advising that I only gather women to this team?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. From your memories, I thought that your interest was only in women.”

  “No, that isn’t what I meant. I’m not a switch hitter. I mean everyone can do them, but yeah, that isn’t me. But if what you told me about Krig is true, then he certainly didn’t recruit his servants by sleeping with them,” Kyle protested.

  “Quite ri
ght. I’m sorry. I just got very lonely in complete solitude for three years. There was absolutely nothing to do trapped in your mantle until you reformed. Maybe I developed a bit of a twisted sense of things. Can you blame me, though?”

  “Blame isn’t the question. If possible, I’d like to add Gilthan and maybe Skrug to our group. We would just need a healer and then we would have a well-rounded party.”

  Before they could formulate a plan any further, Saber suddenly appeared. He looked harried and dirty, which was not surprising. Much of the stadium seating had been destroyed and the structure was going to likely require major repairs after some of the Aekor’s energy blasts had shaken the building.

  “There you are. I’ve been looking for everyone. You need to clean up quickly,” the trainer said in a rushed voice.

  “Why?”

  “Oh no, boy, don’t go doing that to me now. You’re a flipping slave. You go where you are told,” Saber barked. Then his face seemed to soften. “I’m sorry, that came out too harsh. Thank you for helping take that thing down. I still don’t know what burnt it up, but all the talk is about the flash of fire that blinded anyone who was watching. But Lady Sorengaard has asked to speak to you. And until the auction, you are still property of their family. You had best clean up. I will have one of the guards take you to a guest room that she has asked to meet you in.”

  Kyle looked at the man, uncertain what this all meant, but eventually just said, “What the heck. This might be interesting. Is this Soren’s wife?”

  “Oh gods, thankfully no. That poor woman is a bitch from the pits of the darkest hell. She started out sweet enough, but ten years married to that man would ruin anyone. No, this is his sister. The unmarried one,” Saber answered, adding an emphasis to the last part.

  Conjuring an image of a woman who looked like Soren or Darron left a rather unpleasant image in his mind. But there was nothing for it. So, he headed for the bathing area that they used for cleaning the slaves. It was nothing fancy, but at least it was mostly empty. He cleaned himself up and found that Saber had sent one of the guards with a clean tunic that would fit even his broad chest, as well as trousers and boots. The guard also took his armor and maul, even if he couldn’t properly carry the latter.

  Once he was ready, another guard appeared and led him through hallways that slanted upward, closer to the top of the coliseum than he had ever been before. There were many signs of damage—cracked stone, torn tapestries, and the like—on their way up, but overall, the stadium appeared intact. When they arrived at the room, there were four guards out in the hallway.

  He was searched for weapons and even managed to keep from laughing. As though he would need a weapon to kill one human.

  Once he was led inside, he found a surprisingly beautiful blonde sitting on the bed in what looked more like a silken nightgown than any proper kind of dress. Kneeling in the bed behind her was a slave girl who was brushing the long locks of the woman’s hair. It had become more and more clear that the upper classes of Thena were mostly blonde-haired. It gave Kyle kind of a creepy Aryan feeling, even though his new form was also blond.

  He was announced by one of the guards as the gladiator Kyle Warborn. The blonde woman, who was clearly used to being the center of attention in any room she was in, shooed the slave away and ordered the guards to wait outside. Their commander stared at Kyle and appeared ready to object when she said, “Now, Captain. You will be right outside in the hall, and I’m sure that this fine gladiator will be on his absolute best behavior.” Then she looked at Kyle and added, “Isn’t that right?”

  “Of course. You have nothing to fear from me, Lady Sorengaard,” Kyle replied. As he spoke, he evaluated her a bit more. She had a braided metal necklace around her neck which had some type of symbol on it, but it plunged down into her nightgown past the ample cleavage that was on display and he couldn’t make out exactly what it was. Her demeanor was commanding but also confident. She certainly didn’t look at all like her brothers and while she seemed accustomed to being obeyed, she didn’t have the same air of entitlement about her. He would guess that she was younger than his thirty years, perhaps as young as twenty-five, but it was hard to say in a world with flesh mages.

  “You see there? He says I have nothing to fear, Captain.”

  The guard captain clearly wasn’t convinced, but he must have decided it wasn’t worth arguing about with her, so he led the other guards out into the hallway after offering a short bow to her.

  “There, now, it’s just us. Why don’t you come over here and sit on the bed next to me? I hear that you’ve had quite an eventful evening,” her words dripped honeyed tones and Kyle was instantly on guard. Whenever a woman spoke like that to him, she wanted something from him, and while there might be parts of it he would enjoy, there was always a catch. With a noblewoman like this, it was more likely a barbed hook.

  “I’m actually quite comfortable here. What can I do for you?” Kyle replied.

  “Oh, so you’ve dropped the Lady Sorengaard so quickly? The reports about you did say that you don’t seem to be much for the niceties of society. I personally don’t care, but I do find that such things help everyone to know where their place is,” she said.

  “I mean no offense. Where I come from, little regard is given to titles and such,” Kyle said calmly.

  “And where exactly do you come from? I’d so love to know. That is one tidbit that my agents haven’t been able to determine. Oh, and if you don’t want to call me Lady Sorengaard, I suppose it would be fine for you to call me Sissel, but only when we are alone. You do want to spend some time alone with me, don’t you?” the young noblewoman said.

  “I don’t actually know, since you haven’t told me what it is that I can do for you, Sissel.” The more he focused on how she was acting and speaking, the more he felt like she was a trap. Her very mannerisms screamed of someone flirting by sheer habit. Like some of the street walkers that one of his ex-teammates had liked to pick up, just more polished and without the desperation.

  “Oh, it isn’t so much what you can do for me as much as what I can do for you. I have a patron who would like to hire your services. What would you say if I told you I could arrange for you to be made a free man? I have it on good authority that you were captured illegally at the quarry by my brothers. They always were shortsighted,” Sissel said.

  “I would say I am curious who this patron is that they have such pull. I’ve been told that there is no way for a slave to be freed,” Kyle replied.

  “For now, my patron would like to remain anonymous, or if you prefer, you can think of this as something I am doing in the name of my patron without them yet being aware. Never worry that head of yours on those so wonderfully broad shoulders, I have the authority to make good on what I offer. A tease is only fun as long as you make good on the offer in the end,” she said with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin.

  Kyle went back and forth in his mind as to whether he should play her game. Normally, he would continue the mutual tease and perhaps end up with another conquest by the end of the night. Who knew? There might even be something to her offer, but he was aiming for something new, so it was with great difficulty that he responded, “If at some point you want to speak more clearly, then I would be happy to hear what you have to say, but for now, I need to check upon some matters.”

  She laughed for a moment and then grew still. “You aren’t kidding, are you? Not sure when any man has spoken to me like that, let alone a slave. But surely you have needs.” As she spoke, Sissel stood up and crossed the short distance between them, to walk around him.

  There was no subtlety to it anymore. She was being brazen and putting all of her charms on display. “Surely you could find some time for me now.”

  It took an act of will for Kyle not to take her into his arms as she pressed herself up against him, but as much fun as that might lead to, he wanted to stay in control here. “Not unless you can tell me who this patron is so th
at I might better gauge your offer.”

  She pressed a finger to his lips and made a shushing sound. “Not now, but I assure you they have the highest of authorities.”

  Kyle felt his head start to get fuzzy like on the rare occasions that he had more than a single drink. He didn’t know what she was doing to him, but knew it was her. It caused anger to rise up within him and War Essence flooded his system. His thoughts grew clear again and he shook his head, symbolically clearing the haze. “Well, as enticing as this offer is, I am needed elsewhere.”

  Then he disengaged her arms from around his neck as gently as he could and stepped back, quickly spinning on his heels. He headed for the door. A part of him expected her to call for the guards but whatever game she was playing, he must be more important to her than he had originally thought.

  It was an important lesson he had learned long ago. Once you knew how valuable you were to another party, negotiating became easy. Some simple math told him that if she, a noblewoman, had a patron, then based on the little bit he knew about the politics in Thena, it must be one of the deities. And no matter how much momentary fun he might have had, he needed to think about the long game.

  As Kyle walked out of the room, he saw shock register on the faces of the guards. They apparently hadn’t expected him for some time. One of them joked, “What’s the matter, your tool not quite as big as that maul you use in the arena?”

  He didn’t even bother to respond because a moment later he heard a woman’s voice screeching in anger and the sound of pottery breaking. The guards rushed into the room and he pushed past the only one still in his way.

  No, Hilde was right. It was high time that he formed a team.

  And he knew just where to start.

  Chapter 30 - Behind the Scenes

  Kyle couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto his face when he heard her screech as he left. He even started to hum to himself.