Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Courtesy visit

As the vampiress entered the building, only a few faces turned to see who was arriving. Adventurers were continually coming and going, so hardly anyone paid much attention to the newcomer.

Only those who were waiting for a companion gave her a look, just enough to verify that she wasn't who they were waiting for. However, a couple of them stared at her, their eyes wide.

"The Blood Queen!?" a mage vampire exclaimed. He had a flat nose, orange eyes, short purple hair, and short stature.

Suddenly, there was silence. All the murmurs ceased, while dozens of gazes turned to Gjaki. She simply ignored them. The first time something like this had happened to her, she had felt quite self-conscious. Nowadays, she had experienced it too many times. Besides, she knew that it was going to happen.

The silence barely lasted a few moments. Shortly after, the environment was full of multiple whispers. There was respect or fear in those adventurers, at least in the majority.

A more than two meters tall female warrior strode toward her with clear hostility. She was a half-elf, stout, very muscular, and had some reptilian features. The most noticeable was her scaled tail.

"Do you think you can attract attention by disguising yourself!? Do you take us for stupid!? You need a lesson!" she exclaimed.

She lunged at her with a clenched fist. It wasn't a deadly attack, but it could certainly deal heavy damage.

The vampiress moved nimbly to the side and hunched slightly to avoid the powerful attack. To do so, it is unclear if she used the Fast Steps skill, or did something similar unconsciously.

When the fist reached the point of impact, not only did it not find a body to hit, but a hand grabbed her wrist tightly. Gjaki pulled the arm, thus adding her strength to her rival's momentum. She also stretched out her leg to make her stumble.

The half-elf fell with a crash, and hit her head on the ground. Nonetheless, the ridicule was more painful than the blow.

Furious, she wanted to get up immediately to take revenge for that insult, but she stopped short. Sharp nails were grazing her cheek, and had even cut it superficially. She froze, faced with the threat and the aura of Bloodlust.

"Is she the real one!?" she thought to herself, panicking, not daring to breathe.

Gjaki didn't say a word. She retracted the nails extended with Scratch, and headed for the counter: She ignored the intimidated or impressed gazes. Some, both.

"I want to speak to the guild master," she demanded of the clerk in an authoritative tone.

"Yes... Follow me," he didn't hesitate.

He had not only seen her in action, but the plate the vampiress had taken out proved that she was truly Gjaki herself, the Blood Queen, and a top-level adventurer to top it all. She had more than enough qualifications for the said request.

"Wait a moment. I'll call her immediately. Please, wait here," the employee asked her, after taking her to a room.

No doubt, he was intimidated by Gjaki's presence. Whether she was the Blood Queen or a highest-ranking adventurer, it was more than enough to impress him. The previous scene had only reinforced that feeling.

Gjaki relaxed into one of the armchairs. She took the opportunity to take out a cupcake and put it in her mouth. She was hungry.

It didn't take a minute for the Guildmaster to rush in. She was a woman of medium height and tired looking. She had been catching up on all the paperwork she had been putting off. Her employees had risen up in a small riot, and had locked her up until it would be done. It was something that happened once a month.

She was grateful to Gjaki for giving her a welcome respite, as well as worried about her unexpected visit. The woman couldn't figure out what she wanted. She even tensed for a moment and nearly panicked, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Her employee had informed her about the little altercation. For this reason, when she had seen her mouth covered with a reddish substance, she had feared that it had been more serious than anticipated. Luckily, it was just the cream coating the cupcake, not blood.

"I am Frinjia, the Guildmaster. It is an honor to meet the Blood Queen herself. What can I do for you?" she introduced herself.

Gjaki took out seven adventurer plaques and placed them on the table.

"Three lamias, two arachnes and two centipede-men. They assaulted us and suffered the consequences," Gjaki began.

Frinjia frowned, though she was surprised too. Although it was a serious matter, it wasn't important enough to call her. For a moment, she thought the vampiress was a bit arrogant to bother her about such a matter, though she certainly could afford to be.

However, those thoughts were dashed when Gjaki placed numerous plates on the table, separated from the firsts. The Guildmaster's eyes widened, overwhelmed.

"One of the lamias had these plates. I have come to return them. You'll know what to do with them," the vampiress explained, with a solemn voice.

Frinjia approached, shaken by the meaning of that, and even took one of them. She had little doubt that all those adventurers had died at the hands of the group that had made the mistake of attacking the Blood Queen.

The ranks of the plates were varied, though none too high. She took a deep breath to regain control of herself, and looked at Gjaki with deep respect and appreciation. The vampiress could have simply avoided the inconvenience of bringing them.

"On behalf of the Adventurers Guild, thank you for returning the plates to us, for clarifying what their fates really were. At least, their friends and family will now be able to mourn them," she thanked solemnly.

"It's the least I could do. By the way, is the Assassins Guild still hiding in the usual place?" the silver-haired vampiress asked.

"I... I think so. Why?"

The question had caught her completely off guard. Although she didn't know the place, a change would probably have caught her attention.

"I want to pay them a visit. Their actions have irritated me a bit," Gjaki replied.

Frinjia's hair stood on end. She watched as the vampiress left, and for a moment, she felt sorry for the assassins. They had provoked the wrong person.

Gjaki walked out the front door, and glanced sideways at the warrior who had attacked her earlier. When her gazes met, the half-elf felt a deep chill and cold sweat. She even fell off the chair.

No one laughed at the time, though perhaps they would later. The presence of the vampiress was imposing. They couldn't help but swallow when imagining themselves in the situation of the adventurer.

Gjaki came out with an impassive face, although inside she was laughing. It amused her to act like this.