NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 17: Meeting New Friends
Gil didn't have much difficulty finding the Blood on the Vine tavern. It was one of the very few buildings in the town that was remotely inviting. A warm firelight spilled out the front of the building through a large window, where half a dozen people sat around drinking. It seemed like the kind of place that would welcome a man with a pocket full of coin, even in the early afternoon.
Gil checked his timer before entering. He'd used about three hours scouring the old house and wandering across town, so he had 21 hours left to work.
Everyone in the room, save the barkeep, gave Gil a once over when he entered the room. It was only fair that he did the same in return. There were a few sallow faced men nursing their drinks that Gil assessed and found wanting; they seemed like simple folk enjoying a bit of time off.
Three women chatting at another table together caught his eye. They were a bit on the older side, but still possessed a mature beauty and fit bodies. Gil noted with approval that all three had short swords belted at their waists. Even if these three women were unusual, at least a few ladies had weapons so he might be in a sane world again.
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The only other person who caught Gil's eye was a solidly built man with ash blonde hair and a suit of dark leather armor. He had a pitcher of wine next to him and seemed to be waiting for something.
Naturally, Gil went for the ladies. He didn't have much hope of seducing them without company backing, but it never hurt to establish positive ties that he could work towards developing into something more. He needed combatants at his side, and a trio of GILF bodyguards would be welcome if he could get them to come with him to another world.
"Hello, ladies?" He said, approaching the table, "any chance you beauties could give a visitor some directions?"
Three sets of cold eyes were directed towards Gil.
"Hmm," the one on the left with mostly dark hair said. "I think we can manage that. I'll go first. Talk to Alrik if you want a drink."
"Pay your tab if you want to keep breathing," chimed in the one with an orange scarf.
"And otherwise leave us alone, Giorgio." Said the last, pulling out her knife to clean under her fingernails. "We sell wine and food, not company."
Gil heard laughter from the blonde man, and turned to give him an irritated look.
"I do not mean to be rude," the man said, "allow me to apologize with a drink? Perhaps we can help each other. My name is Ismark Kolyanovich."
Gil shrugged and settled into a seat next to the man. Ismark poured wine from his pitcher into a small wooden cup, and gestured questioningly towards a small pie stuffed with veggies and minced meat. When Gil nodded, Ismark called over the barkeep and requested another one be brought for Gil. It was bland, slightly burnt, and to the slightly underfed Gil it was mouthwatering.
"Gilbert," Gil said, holding out a hand. "So, what's the catch? You're acting far nicer than anyone I've seen here. If you've got ulterior motives I won't hold it against you, but I'd like to know what they are."
"I've never been a very good liar." Ismark responded with a rueful smile. "I'm hoping that a traveler might assist me, since none of the locals are willing. My sister is being targeted by a powerful, evil creature. I wish to bring her to the town of Vallaki, where the Baron owes my father a few favors. Now that you know my motives, what were you going to ask the ladies? If you were simply hoping to find company for the evening, I applaud your courage."
"I've heard of something found in this town called a dream pastry." Gil said, thoughtfully. "Do you know where one might be obtained?"
"Granny Morgan sells them." Ismark answered skeptically, "She goes from door to door most evenings. I don't know what you've heard, but I'd suggest against them. The dreams they conjure cast dark shadows across one's life. It can be more painful than any true injury, if you can't afford them anymore."
So… drugs. Some old lady is peddling drugs and I'm supposed to steal some. No wonder the reward is addiction defense.
"They aren't for me." Gil answered evasively. "I have a client who pays well for exotic delicacies. Speaking of which, I may be able to assist your sister. I know of a place where no man may follow without my assistance. I could take her far away as soon as tonight; if I have the opportunity to resupply."
Gil didn't know anything about this man's sister, but damsels in distress were an excellent demographic to hire from. Most of them would probably qualify for at least minor name status, especially if they have strapping and distinctive lads like Ismark looking after them.
"Interesting…" Ismark mused, "we will need to ask her, of course. My sister is not one to be commanded if she doesn't wish to go somewhere. I also can't let you go without warning you about what you'd be inviting upon yourself. You will likely find leaving Barovia to be harder than you think."
"Of course. Tell me all about it." Gil said. "I'm fairly confident about my methods but I don't want to be hasty."
"Travelers from abroad frequently come to Barovia, but can't leave without the Count's blessing." Ismark explained. "If you have my sister, he'd never allow you to leave."
"Even when she's in danger?" Gil asked, curious.
"Count Strahd von Zarovich is the source of the danger; he desires my sister for some reason." Ismark said, "he has already sent his servants to attack my house. He's killed my father, the burgomeister. I tell you this now, so you can turn away if you wish."
Strahd from son of Zarov? Gil thought, I hope this world has its own naming conventions because it sounds like word salad if it matches the ones I'm familiar with. Either way, as a general rule total mingers don't get stalked by powerful noblemen. I gotta meet this chick.
"I have my own purposes and don't intend to be in Barovia for long." Gil said confidently. "I'd like to at least meet the girl, though I warn you that there's a chance she will be pulled back here by magic if she does leave with me."
"Vallaki might still be better, then." Ismark said, "we shall see what Ireena thinks, though."
Ismark paid for both of us, allowing Gil to save his meager funds for later. It was kind of him, though likely to be a tactical decision to curry favor. The two men walked down the main road of the town to a modestly sized manor house, which had all the signs of recent damage.
Gil saw a few well pruned rose bushes surrounded by broken ground, and the polished wooden door had deep claw marks in it. For the first time, Gil wondered if he was making a mistake coming here. Before he could do more than consider the question, Ismark knocked on the door.
"Ireena! Open up." He yelled. "I've got food from the tavern and a man who might be able to help us."
"What is my birthday?" A woman asked through the door.
"I don't know." Ismark answered.
That answer, likely to get any boyfriend a tongue lashing, was nonetheless what Ireena was looking for. Gil heard the scrape of a wooden bar being pulled out of the way, and the door opened to reveal her.
Gil, quick thinker that he was, had four distinct thoughts in the moments after the door was opened. First was that Ireena looked absolutely nothing like her pasty skinned blonde brother, with caramel skin darker than anyone he'd seen since arriving in this world and dark red hair.
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The second was that she was about as attractive as he had expected, though her clothing was quite conservative. He could see her attracting a dangerous stalker, and would absolutely consider her a reasonable addition to any harem if she brought other traits to the table.
The third was that he was glad to see she was armed; a woman under siege should pick up a weapon and learn how to use it. She was at minimum confident with the use of her sword, holding it steadily as she pointed it at Gil's heart. He wasn't in any state to critique her stance at his current level of proficiency, but she did have her knees bent which he vaguely remembered to be a generally good idea.
"He's fine, sister." Ismark said, walking past her into the house. She stepped back and sheathed her thin fencing sword.
"I'm not inviting you in." She said firmly, looking directly at my chest. "I'm going to close the door after I count to fifteen."
Gil stood confused for a few seconds as she started to count, then stepped inside. Much of Ireena's tension faded once she saw him step across the threshold of her house uninvited. She finished counting quickly and barred the door again.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir." She said politely. "I am Ireena Kolyana. I apologize for the caution, but we are under siege."
"By vampires?" Gil guessed. There were a few creatures that needed an invitation to come inside, but across the multiverse vampires had that quirk the most often in his experience.
"Indeed, the Devil Strahd himself is one such monster," Ismark said grimly. "He has not come personally yet, but he has sent his servants to harass us each night for weeks. That is why we need Ireena away from here."
"I'm not going anywhere with my father lying cold on the floor!" Ireena spat at Ismark, "he deserves better than that."
"He'd want you to be safe." Ismark shot back. "He died protecting you. We can't risk your life to no purpose!"
It was only then, looking around the large living room, that Gil saw the corpse. Kolya had been a large, stocky man like his son. He was a bit heavier around the middle, but he had the same ash blonde hair. He looked like he'd been roughed up before his death, but had clearly been cleaned up since then.
"What is stopping you from putting your father to rest?" Gil asked, perhaps a bit bluntly. He didn't want to listen to the siblings squabbling till dusk. He had a to-do list.
"The house is being watched." Ismark explained. "When Ireena leaves, she is vulnerable. Strahd's minions only attack at night, but if she leaves for any length of time the devil may come to snatch her."
"I will be safe on holy ground." Ireena insisted. "We can bury father and I can leave from there."
Gil scratched his chin.
"It could work, depending on how closely this Strahd fellow is watching. I have a path we can use to escape to a place no one can follow, as long as the burial grounds are in town." Gil said before Ismark could object. "You'd need to pack for a long trip, mostly food. We won't be able to hunt or forage for at least a week, and I have one other companion."
Ismark and Ireena seemed well off, being the children of a burgomeister. Gil vaguely remembered that rank being somewhere in the same tier of authority as a mayor. Gil would be happy to take Ireena along just for the chance to raid their larder. Throwing in the fact that she was a pretty girl with a sword just made her more appealing. There was always a chance that Ismark was the real hero and Ireena was destined to die sometime in the next few days, but Gil wasn't sure if he intended to stay in this dreary little burg for long enough to care.
"A way out of Barovia?" Ireena asked, skeptically, "You're sure it works?"
"I've used it to come here and return to my home a few times." Gil said, keeping it vague. He didn't know how much explanation a portal would require in this world; many worlds found instantaneous magical transportation very unusual. "The entrance is in an old house down the street from the tavern. If I can get you there, no one will be able to follow you."
"What of Vallaki?" Ismark asked. "It's said to be a fairly safe town and we should have allies there."
Gil shrugged.
"If you think that's safer, be my guest, but in my experience no one has ever managed to follow me if I didn't want them to." He said. "I'll admit, it's not a perfect solution. I won't be able to bring both of you."
Ismark seemed like a solid guy, but not particularly appealing as a new recruit. Gil wasn't completely opposed to bringing men into his retinue, but so far he didn't have much in terms of resources. A big guy like Ismark would eat a lot of food and make any kind of sexual escapades at least slightly more awkward. That went double for anything related to Ireena.
"Why not?" Ireena asked archly.
"To use the gate, someone needs to have a connection to me." Gil explained. "I can apply this stamp to them, though I don't have enough ink for two applications here, or they can make a binding deal with me. Either way works."
Ismark rested his hand on his sword, his eyes hardening. "Are you some kind of fiend?"
Ireena moved to stand slightly behind Ismark, ready to join him if a fight started.
"No, nothing like that." Gil said, holding his hands up. "Just a traveler. I like to take people in who are in unhappy situations and let them come with me. It gets lonely sometimes. My friend Snow was almost killed by her own mother, so she was happy to come along. I figured I could pull the same trick twice, that's all."
Given the pair's immediate and violent reaction to the possibility that Gil was some kind of demon, he completely dismissed the possibility of capture by soul pact. He could not imagine a world in which that offer ended well for him. The siblings eventually relented, accepting his explanation as sufficient.
"So… maybe you should get packed?" Gil suggested. "I can't stay past noon tomorrow, I still intend to acquire a dream pastry, and you have a father to bury before we leave, no?"