Chapter 31: Isekai Life & Sweet Loot

I put a soft hand on Katriana’s shoulder. “Sister ... take this, and go trade with Voss. You can secure our escape route while we continue on with him.”

I handed her the runic greatsword that the lead hobgoblin had, safely sheathed now that Enna had cut the scabbard free of his back. Chances are it was some kind of magic- these hobgoblins didn’t seem to be fond of embellishments or artistry in their weapons, so I’m guessing the runes were there for a purpose, The leader also had a small vial of sapphire blue liquid on him, also probably a potion, but I kept that with me- if we had to face down a level 6 knight in full plate we might be pushed to the point that blindly sampling potions starts to become a good idea.

Katriana breathed in to protest, but the sharp intake caused her to wince. She reluctant accepted the sword. “Don’t go any further until he catches up with you, alright?” she asked in a pained tone, “I don’t need you to run into any more trouble.”

Other than the possibility of the level six knight, I wasn’t too worried about clearing the rest of the manor. If the cook proved hostile, they would be a level zero warrior, and if Lord Gauthi was a Gentry (which the presence of the bodyguards and the excessive amounts of treasure almost confirmed) he wouldn’t be much more of a threat. I was confident leaving that up to my companions.

But the knight was another issue. We lucked out with the other two- one was a very low-level squire and the other wasn’t tough enough to hold his own against five mildly seasoned adventurers. Someone with a potential sixty HP and probably better equipment to boot? It would be dangerous,

The enchanted crowbill weighed on my mind. Of course, my chances for maximum benefits would be to deliver my meagre dart-based fire support and retreat, and make good my escape if my companions were overcome. But ... I couldn’t bring myself to do that.

For one, even though she was very obviously more in love with me than I was with her, I was warming up to Ashryn a lot. The sweet elf girl was genuinely a joy to be around, and while her tactical instincts left a lot to be desired, her eagerness for new experiences was endearing. And, as I found out when I levelled up, she was already bearing my child ... an idea I was still getting used to.

There was also Calliope. She was acting oddly enough at times, that I was left to wonder if she was still carrying a torch for me. Theodore was still carrying a bit of a torch for her up until the point I took over. And if I was being honest, as much as I was exasperated before, I really enjoyed her sarcastic wit. I was interested in seeing how things would go, not just for another “conquest” or whatever, but because all the sweetness from my relationships with Katriana and Ashryn kind of left me craving a little bit of sour.

And then there were Voss and Enna. Voss was a good guy, and I had really meant it when I offered to make him a knight for helping to support me. As much as I was hoping for him to sacrifice himself for Katriana, more and more I was looking forward to having a friend like him around, someone I could trust with the garrison of my home castle or whatever. As for Enna ... she had her own turn of wit, but more than that, I would feel pretty awful dragging her into all this and then abandoning her. And she was a hell of a fighter, maybe not quite punching at Katriana’s level but able to ambush enemies with a terrible brutality. As much as I poo-poo’ed thieves before, that backstab was pretty effective, even if she proved to be more mediocre the longer a fight went on.

So, even though I had my darts ready, I took out the crowbill and slipped it into my belt, just in case.

While waiting for Voss, Enna and Ashryn went around to finish clearing the ground floor. There was a brief scream, and a short while after they returned to say that while the rest of the room were very finely appointed, “Furniture and huntin’ trophies ain’t good lootin’” according to Enna, so they were empty handed. They found the cook blubbering in the pantry, but when Ashryn tried to get close to calm him down, he just screamed at her, so they left him alone.

Which meant that our true foes were above.

Enna, as usual, led the way up the stairs, with Voss and Ashryn following after and me in the back. The middle proved to be living space, privy and bathing rooms, a sector for servants, and a few nicer rooms for guests or lesser members of the family. Ashryn said she thought she could hear someone upstairs, but that this floor was silent, so her and Enna ventured out again while Voss and I held the landing. This adventure proved more fruitful- Enna was carrying a sack that contained a gold-inlaid mandolin with silver strings, a ornate wooden box filled with gold and silver jewellery, and a quiver of arrows from the servant’s quarters that were carved with an intricate pattern and fletched with some unidentifiable, iridescent green feathers that shimmered in the light. “Figgered that they coulda been magic, since those hobbo bastards ‘ad a coupla magic swords.” And, well, they may be, and they didn’t take up much sack room.

Finally, we crept up to the top floor.

We made the landing, weapons ready. The house was silent.

“I don’t like it,” Enna hissed, “You’d think that a lord wouldn’t know to keep quiet.”

“Well,” I said loudly, “We just have to hold position here and wait for Calliope to recover. Once we have an Invoker with all her spells still, clearing this floor is going to be easy.”

Voss gave me an odd look, but Enna caught on pretty quick and grinned at me. The best part was, I didn’t even have to lie ... just imply some stuff that’s not actually true.

It had the desired effect. Soon, a tall, dark haired man in platemail, wielding an alchemical steel bastard sword with his other hand the drawstring of a sack flopped over one shoulder, edged out of a side room and into the one of the halls coming off the landing. He kept the tip of the blade up in a guarded position, but he smiled when he saw us. There was blood on his blade.

“Hello, friends,” he said, “I don’t know your cause or issue with the Lord Gauthi, but he’s dead now. I’m wondering if we could come to some kind of agreement, to let me pass without trouble.”

He unlimbered the sack, and spilled it on the ground, revealing a mass of platinum coins.

The only problem with that, though, was we technically weren’t here for Lord Gauthi.

“What do you have to do with the cult that the lord joined?” I asked.

The knight gestured expansively. “Nothing, nothing! I assure you, my friend, I wanted nothing to do with Malgarath...”