Chapter 3: ~Mercenaries?~ (2/2)
“Can we throw him out now, boss?” One of the burly men turns towards Den.
“Take his money first!” Another calls out.
“Thh.. Thh.. … iefff”
“What did you call us?” Another one shoots a deadly glance into my direction.
“Thh... hh... thhhug....”
“He doesn't learn it boss! Should we continue the beating?” -Thief
“I don't know. My hands are sore. That guy has unbelievable endurance. It's like hitting rock. Look. All my knuckles are swollen and bloody.” -Thug
“They aren't just swollen Tony. I think they are broken. Your hands look strange.” -Thief
“Oh really? Hmm. Yeah, you might be right.” Tony starts to set the broken bones in his hand with unpleasant crunching sounds.
“You always amaze me! Try to find a doctor and lift that curse to feel no pain. It's dangerous I tell ya.” Den shakes his head at Tony.
“But so far it was a really helpful curse.” Tony continues to set his bones while all burly men look with pity at him.
I better keep my mouth shut. Just trying to speak already hurts like hell. To imagine that this guy kept hitting me despite my use of stone-skin is quite remarkable. The other mercenaries just took a few blows at me and stopped.
Aaaah.... I should have tried the quantity over quality approach. It looks like the Icewolfs have a deep grudge against nobles.
*Crush*
A window is broken and someone jumps into the big room. At the same moment the door flies open and several hooded figures storm into the room. Whoho... are those assassins? They are fast! The day didn't even come to its end and they are already starting the first try.
“mmh.... rom..m... rope!”
Unbind me you burly men! I need my hands free! There are about ten assassins who are staring at the burly men.
“There he is!”
One of the hooded figures throws a knife at me but it gets blocked by one of the burly men. F... Fast! Are they on drugs? How can a muscle monster like that move so fast.
“Stop that! And you will pay for that window!” Den screams at the hooded figures and everything begins to move!
All hooded figures start to throw fireballs at us while the burly men begin to move. A few of them change into grotesque hairy humanoids with fur and sharp teeth! Werewolf!
The werewolf-curse is very old and was used during a past war to create common soldiers which are able to stand up against magicians. It grants high resistance against all kinds of magic while enhancing the body.
A downside is the bad smell and the hairy body. On top comes that many people aren't able to control the curse and turn into rabid animals.
Den grabs me together with the chair and carries me outside while the whole building starts to catch fire. His men are tearing the assassins apart in the meantime. A hundred werewolfs against ten assassins can't be called a fair fight.
Once outside I get thrown to the ground while Den watches in horror as his guild goes up into flames. Slowly his men start to leave the building. Some are gnawing at the parts of dead assassins.
Then I get grabbed and pulled upright while a hundred angry werewolfs are looking at me like I would be the next meal. “Look at that! Our hideout! Who do you think will pay for that! And which bastard is after you! Can't they wait for you to be alone and slice your throat in a dark alley!”
“mhm.. I... hire...”
Den shakes me like a doll. “Hire? Us? Didn't you just see what we are?” He snaps the ropes which bound me to the chair like nothing to prove his point and starts another round of shaking.
“Ffine....perffect....hire... aalll....”
The burly men around me start to laugh and Den shakes his head. “I can't take this any more. Is this guy really serious?” He grabs a small vial out his pocket and throws it into my lap.
A high grade healing potion! Thank the gods! I unplug it and down the content. A few seconds later I feel my jaw snap into the right position which makes speaking much easier.
“I will hire all of you as bodyguards. I don't care if you are werewolfs or not. Actually I ~love~ it! That's a wonderful bonus!” I grin at Den. At least as much as it is possible in my state.
“Just who is after you to be that desperate?” Den crosses his arms.
“Just the whole House of Arenzien. And maybe the House of Jasmine.... And the enemies of the Jarl. Did I forget someone? Hmm. Those should be the most important ones for the moment.” I scratch my cheek while grinning at Den.
Den covers his face with his hands and sighs. “How long do you think you can pay us? We aren't exactly cheap you know? Being a werewolf and immortal doesn't exactly cause us troubles with money you know?”
I grab the pouch out of my coat and pour a few coins into my open palm. Then I hold the coins and the pouch towards Den.
“Like I said. I hire all of you. For as long as I live. Are a thousand platinum coins enough for a hundred immortal werewolfs? I don't plan to live forever you know? It should be enough if you keep me alive until I die of old age.”
That night I acquired a hundred big, burly, hairy ~watchdogs~ to guard my property.
.