Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Visitors meeting

"Welcome, illustrious guest. When you are is ready, we will accompany you," a couple of maids received her with extreme respect.

Gjaki had crossed the Gate that, some time ago, they had allowed her to place in the small room. After that, she had arrived at a larger room. It was lavishly decorated. There were even a couple of maids dedicated exclusively to her, despite having only been there once.

Sitting in an armchair, very stiff and trying not to shake, there was a girl of about fourteen years old. That luxurious room was her prison, and her feared owner had just arrived.

She had spent many days within those walls, with opulent meals at her disposal. There were even two maids who took care of all her needs, from dressing her to bathing her. However, it was still a prison, far from her family. Her only purpose was to wait for the person to whom she had been given as a gift to return.

She was a cat-like demihuman, with delicate gray to light blue fur. Her blue eyes reflected the fear in her heart, but she couldn't help but resign herself to her fate.

Even though she had assumed her situation, even though she knew what was going to happen, her body couldn't stop shaking when her owner approached.

The girl didn't dare move an inch when the mouth and fangs approached her neck. It had barely hurt her the first and last time she had bitten her, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. Her race was reputed among vampires for having delicious blood, which was why she had been kidnapped. As a gift for her current owner.

"Everything will be fine. Soon, this nightmare will end," a voice whispered in her ear.

She couldn't help but turn to the figure that was walking away. She saw it leaving the room, after one of the maids. Not only had her owner not bitten her, but she seemed to have wanted to comfort her. The frightened girl didn't understand anything, and didn't know if she should fear or have hope. At least, she had stopped shaking.

Gjaki followed the maid through the luxurious hallways to another room. After taking her there, the servant bowed, and returned to her tasks.

There were several servants and guards in the room, although the vampiress focused on two other individuals who were guests like her. One of them was hooded and sitting in an armchair, while sipping a drink from a cup. He seemed reptilian, although different from Kroquia and her people. From what little she could see, his tail was much less voluminous.

The other was some kind of demon whose species she didn't know. He was half lying on the couch. His smile was somewhat chilling, and his wide half-open mouth was showing two long rows of sharp triangular teeth. His skin was a light lilac, and his blood-red hair reached halfway down his back.

"So, you're the Blood Queen. I imagined you taller. I'm Asmodeus. Hey, that cutie they gave you... You only want her for her blood, right? Why don't you lend her to me for a while?" the demon asked, without any scruples.

"I don't like to lend my toys," she refused.

"Tsk. Stingy... What about that maid? She's hot, I hadn't seen her before," he continued, while licking his lips.

"She's assigned to serve me and take care of my possession," she explained, reluctantly and with displeasure.

"Heh, heh. So, you won't mind if I ask for her after we're done, right? Once you take your cutie, you won't need her anymore," he insisted.

"It's not my business. Let's stop the nonsense. How do you fight? I do hand to hand," she settled the issue.

It's not that she didn't care what happened to the maid, but the "after" was something that could change a lot. There would be time to worry. Besides, that visitor might not come out alive. She had heard about him, and all she felt was repulsion. Despite this, Gjaki doubted that she would have the chance to take care of him. There was someone else who really hated him.

"Golgo, sniper," the reptilian spoke.

Without a doubt, he was someone of few words. Plus, his name was familiar to her.

"From an anime?" she asked herself, not entirely sure.

"I'm a medium-distance fighter. I'll be behind you. Golgo covers us. Heh, heh, we're the perfect team," Asmodeus proposed.

"Fine to me," Gjaki didn't contradict him.

She was fine with that type of arrangement. The vampiress didn't like the other two being behind her back, but she wasn't planning to do it either. She had other plans.

"Hey, how did they convince you? They'll give me a title and a land full of beautiful vassals. Heh, heh. I'm going to enjoy them. On top of that, I just have to kill one idiot. He wants I don't know what piece of relic to make water. Have you come for that kitten?" he questioned her.

"She's an extra. There're artifacts I'm interested in. Water?" she was surprised.

"The water in my land stopped flowing centuries ago. I need to complete the Aqtlua to bring it back, at whatever price. If you know anything about any fragment, I can pay," Golgo responded.

Gjaki looked at him, as if he wanted to see through the hood. If she wasn't mistaken, he was one of the Aqtlans. They were yellow-brown reptiles that lived in a huge desert. She had carried out some missions there in the game.

"At least, it seems like he has an important reason," she said to herself.

The vampiress couldn't help but wonder what she would be willing to do to save her family, the inhabitants of the mansion. Maybe, more than she wanted to admit. Therefore, Gjaki decided that, if it was possible, she wouldn't kill him. Nonetheless, she would have no mercy on her enemy if he got in the way.

That's when the last visitor appeared. He was also covered, and was accompanied by a black panther.

"Mage, I attack from range. If I tell you to get out, get out, or you will end up burned. If you have something to say about the strategy, speak up. Otherwise, I don't have time for chit-chat," he introduced himself, without even saying his name.

Gjaki held back her smile as she looked at the panther. The feline looked back at her, with her threatening yellow eyes. At least, that's what it seemed to the untrained eye.

In reality, the panther felt frustrated, irritated and even humiliated. She didn't like disguising as a panther. In fact, there was no costume she liked, as they hid her "elegant bearing." However, it was the only way to be there, plus it was convenient for the mage to have someone to defend him at melee. He had enough tricks to protect himself for a while, but it was his weakest facet.

Hidden beneath the hood, the mage's feline eyes flashed for a few moments, and stared at Asmodeus fiercely. He had been searching for him for a long time because of the atrocities the demon had committed in his kingdom.

The mage gripped the staff tightly. He had to be patient, it wasn't time yet.