17 A Modest Reward

The summoner heard quiet unpleasant noises from the vampire's side. The girl has done her dirty work. The girl is tired and wants to replenish her powers. The girl is eating.

Pete looked at the young blond man's body.

"The more I get to know people, the more I understand the summoners. We will not become like these inadequate fools, Trank," the young man whispered.

"We will become strong. We will always understand each other, brother," purred Dracat.

Scarlet approached him and asked an important question,

"Are you ready to do some of the work? We need to inspect the bodies and collect the values. Is that no problem?"

"It's not a problem. Thank you for your confidence," replied Pete. He got up from the grass and walked over to the blond man's body.

Harrison stopped and turned to the vampire. He had a question and made no secret of his interest,

"Scarlet, why didn't they run away? They knew right away that a vampire had caught up with them. Your attack was amazing. They didn't have a chance."

"Pete, I'm a vampire." The girl smiled. "I can find the dwelling of any of these scum in Ark. It's impossible to hide from a vampire. By the way, their family members have nothing to do with our mission."

"Don't run from a vampire. You'll die tired," Pete joked.

Scarlet laughed.

"The Magister is right. One wanderer can surprise in a way that a hundred local entertainers cannot."

The vampire looked around and walked toward the big tree.

"A stash. Gold. You've got work to do," the pet reminded him.

This time Harrison was not mentally disturbed and began examining the dead criminal's belongings. He removed rings from his fingers and pulled apart the collars of his jacket and shirt in search of amulets. Touching the cooling body was unpleasant but did not cause nausea or malaise. The meadow was small and the summoner saw a clear spot in the center. He laid out his valuables on the grass and went to another body. Pete decided to check the bodies by moving clockwise. He knew right away that he did not want to move these bodies. There was no thought in his mind about burying the unfortunate villains.

Scarlet walked over and tossed a small bag on the grass. There was a clinking of metal in the bag.

"Unpleasant part of any mission. It's at times like this that most teams break down. You can find an amazing artifact of great value in this world. Collecting trophies is always a game with sadness and betrayal," the girl said.

"It's too early for me to think about betrayal. I have trust and loyalty issues," Pete admitted. He didn't look away from his close inspection of the body.

"You've got it all ahead of you. You took a small step forward today. An important step for me. I hope you appreciated my wisdom and were even more saddened by the nothingness of your share of the booty."

"I hadn't thought about the reward. A thousand gold pieces are good pay for a novice," murmured the summoner quietly.

"Any guild takes fifteen percent of a recruit's reward. You've been working under contract. I'm rich enough to hand you three percent of the value of the trophies. Ten percent goes to my clan."

Pete didn't appreciate the vampire's words. He hadn't thought seriously about working for the guild. The young man had had enough novice duties. Adapting to the new world proved to be a difficult process. Harrison didn't want to present himself as a competitor to monsters like Scarlet or Elvira. Shine was also on top of the game.

Pete wanted to meet the girl. It would be nice to spend time together. Not for serious companionship, just relaxing in a nice place over drinks and sweets.

He sighed and continued to do his dirty work.

A dozen minutes later, the partners finished their search and collection of valuables. Scarlet didn't hide the particulars and details of the superficial assessment from the novice,

"Seven criminals. Five warriors and two mages. Five swords and five daggers. One staff and one mage bracelet. Forty-three rings and two magical amulets. Twenty-three spell scrolls. We were unlucky and they didn't have anything particularly valuable. When villains go off to do dark deeds they leave the family jewels at home. I'm not in the habit of undressing bad men and women. I don't want to offend you. Pete. A couple of capes have nice expensive fabrics. Would you care to add to your dressing room?"

"Not interested," Harrison shook his head in a negative gesture.

"Then let's calculate the approximate value of the trophies," the vampire finished the subject.

The girl pulled a small roll of cloth from her jacket pocket and unfolded it. Pete saw that it was a bag of thin but sturdy fabric. The vampire was placing weapons and valuables in the bag. She called out numbers in a low voice and kept count. The summoner heard that it came to five tens of thousands. Scarlet gathered up the trophies and tied the neck of the sack. The girl walked to where her cloak lay. She picked it up from the grass and put it on.

"Seventy-four thousand coins. Your three percent is two thousand two hundred and twenty gold pieces. In honor of our first successful mission, I give you two gold coins! Pete, you have earned a handsome sum of two thousand and twenty-two coins," the vampire changed her light tone to a serious expression. "Four twos. The magic of numbers! That could tell you a lot. It should be checked with the clan library."

The summoner was pleased with this unexpected reward. Dracat, too, rumbled melodiously with pleasure.

Scarlet pointed the young man to a small bag.

"This belongs to the customer. I'll settle up with you tomorrow. And I also want to make one point to you. Treat my words as the words of a girl. We have a different way of looking at clothes. Pete, you didn't take your coat off and you got blood on it. Now you're going to get your pants dirty," the girl pointed her finger at the master's branded emblem embroidery. "Belsace. Monna Belsace is a good craftsman. Using other people's clothes can get you into trouble. But you refuse to take the cloaks for nothing. Monna will be able to sew you a fine addition to your closet from the fabric."

"I don't want to take their things. Thank you for your concern," the young man refused.

The vampire did not insist and activated a portal to the clan's castle. She tossed a sack of trophies and a bag of the injured customer's belongings into the portal. Then the partners made their way to Ark. In the castle courtyard, Scarlet offered to stop by for a meal. Pete declined a visit to the vampire lair.

He was very hungry and walked back to the guild at a fast pace. Remembering Shine led to a comparison of such different girls. Both acquaintances turned out to be bright and difficult to communicate with. He was lucky to meet amazing and bright new acquaintances.

"We were both lucky. Let's eat now and work our magic," Pet clarified.

Pete didn't argue with him. He was in a great mood although he felt a little dirty. And his clothes needed cleaning.

At the guild, he habitually took a seat at the far table and ate his lunch. As the young man was finishing his lunch and finishing his glass of juice, a familiar master approached him.

"Pete Harrison, are you sure that doing business with vampires is safe and will not threaten the interests of the guild?"

"It would not affect the interests of the guild," the young man replied seriously. He was not sure of his safety. Vampires are the mysterious dangerous inhabitants of Ark.

"I hope for your wisdom and wish you good luck young man," grinned the master.

The summoner thought he had a good chance of surviving the situation. There is nothing wrong with his wisdom. Luck did not fail him. Trank will help him cope with any problems that may arise.

With these thoughts in mind, Pete Harrison went to his room to learn magic.