Stefan Descantes - Volume II

Stefan nearly choked on his wine. "150,000? You're kidding! Who is it?"

"Some high elf named Almac. Arcane University is footing the bill for the bounty," said Jans, wiping a dirty tankard with an equally dirty rag.

"What do you have to do to get 150,000 septims on your head? The most I've ever seen is 60,000."

"Well let's see..." Jans paused for a moment, sliding a beer over to a pretty girl who had just sat down next to Stefan. "Ah yes, now I remember. It was for numerous counts of murder, assault, battery, rape, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, vampirism, abduction, torture, practicing inhumane experiments on people, and finally, you'll love this, necrophilia. Rumor has it he's also a Necromancer."

"Wow. I've never had to arrest a necrophiliac before," said Stefan, draining his wine,

"I've never even heard of someone getting arrested for it. Well, actually, there was this one girl a few years back, but she was only fined 50 septims and sent on her way," Jans replied, refilling Stefan's tankard.

"Know where he is?"

"Hell no. Nobody does," said Jans loudly, sliding a couple bottles down the counter to his other customers. He leaned closer to Stefan and whispered, "Actually, there may be someone. Llana Solera. Dark Elk girl. Pretty. I heard that she's the guy's girlfriend."

"I thought that he was a necrophiliac," said Stefan, also whispering.

"He is, but that doesn't mean he can't like living girls as well. From what I've heard, they were together in one of the caves he practices his necromancy in when a tribe of ogres decided to kick them out. Forcibly. Anyway, the two were separated during the escape and she's headin' to his new cave."

"Where is it?"

"Didn't I just tell you I don't know where he was? Don't you think that if I knew what cave he was in, I would know where he was?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"I don't know where he is. She does. She was last seen in Chorrol. Ask around in the local bars."

"What if she's keeping a low profile?"

"My... source... tells me that, before she became Almac's girl, she worked as a high-class prostitute in many of the major cities, including Chorrol. At least someone must have recognized her."

"And if not?"

"You're on your own then, kid." Jans leaned back and walked back down the counter.

Stefan leaned back onto the counter and turned back around towards the rest of the bar. 150,000 septims... that's enough to buy me a mansion in Skingrad and live the rest of my life in comfort... Stefan sighed. It would probably take weeks to track this bastard down, months if this Llana Solera doesn't know where he is or her information is wrong. Stefan didn't doubt for a moment that he would be able to get information out of her. He had a way with both words and fists that usually got the job done. I'll have a couple more drinks, spend the night with some whore, and set off in the morning, he thought, sipping his wine.

"That's quite a bounty you're going after."

Stefan once again nearly choked on his wine, and sat there coughing for almost half a minute. When he finally regained control of himself, he turned towards the voice, furious that they were eavesdropping on him and Jans. It was the girl who had sat down next to him when Jans began telling him about Almac. She was an Imperial about his age, 20, and very pretty. She was dressed in leather greaves, leather boots, and leather gauntlets, but seamed to have decided against the cuirass, which was the most important part, and only had a bra over her chest. She had short brown hair that fell just past her shoulders and deep, chocolately eyes with a touch of scarlet. She was also leaning back against the bar and was staring at the ceiling with a benign smile on her face. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Stefan nodded absently before he remembered that he was angry at her. "Were you eavesdropping on me?" he demanded, slamming his drink onto the counter so that it sloshed all over his hand.

She continued to smile at the ceiling. "Yes."

Stefan was so disarmed by her honesty that his rage subsided. He sighed and dried off his hand. "And why were you listening in on my conversation?"

"Because I could."

He hadn't expected this answer. "Uh... okay..."

She suddenly stopped staring at the ceiling and turned to look at him. "I want to help you find Almac."

At this point Stefan was very confused. "What? Why?"

She looked at him like he was stupid. "Because I want some of the bounty, of course."

It was Stefan's turn to look at her like she was stupid. "In that case-" he began.

She held up her hand. "I think that you should think a little more before saying anything. I know that you are a very experienced and talented bounty hunter, but I'm sure I could give you a run for your money if I wanted too."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because, after all, vampires are superior to normal humans in every way," she answered slowly, as though speaking to someone stupid. "We're faster, stronger, smarter," she said, ticking off on her fingers. "Better at casting illusions and destructive magic, sneakier, more seductive, we can become invisible, see in the dark, detect life... do you want me to continue?"

Stefan stared at her. "You're a..."

She smiled at him again, but this time showed her teeth. Her canines were elongated. "Vampire, yes," she said softly.

Stefan turned back to his drink and thought for a moment. He was pretty sure that he could beat her too the bounty, even if she was a vampire, but 150,000 gold pieces is a lot to lose over an assumption. He turned back to her. "If you come with me, how would we split the reward? Would we do 50-50, or-"

She placed a delicate finger on his lips to silence him. "If you want to here my proposal, come to my room in an hour. It's on the second floor, third door from the left. Here's the key," she said, tossing him a silver room key. She got to her feet and walked away, leaving Stefan looking surprised and bewildered.

He watched her saunter over to the stairs for a few moments of stunned silence before coming to his senses. Abandoning his drink, he stood up and ran up to Jans, who serving a couple of bounty hunters. "Jans!" he called out. "Who is that girl?" he asked, pointing at her retreating back.

Jans looked at her for a moment, and said, "Ah, that's Salena. Salena Grigorio. She's also a bounty hunter. She's nothing on you of course, in terms of skill, but those powers she gets from being a vampire even the playing field a bit... Why? Was she hitting on you?"

Stefan was about to tell him about her offer to come with him to help search for Almac, but decided against it. It just felt like their business only. "Yes," he answered, technically telling the truth, since she did hit on him.

One of the bounty hunters emerged from his drink long enough to say, "Best fuck you'll ever have," before draining it in one long draft. The other bounty hunter nodded in agreement.

"Well, good luck, kid," Jans said, punching Stefan in the arm playfully. "Hope you don't get her pregnant."

Stefan left the table and made his way over back to his stool, but found it already occupied by a massive Nord with his arms around two beautiful Nord girls. Stefan turned back around and left the bar. He walked up to the pier and sat down, staring up at the moon. Should I meet with her?, he wondered. She seemed trustworthy, but every bounty hunter knows not to trust anybody you haven't known for years, and even people you have known for years are sometimes suspect. Let's see, pros: business offer that I can always refuse, maybe even free sex. Cons: she could just be luring me somewhere alone so that she could kill me or bite me, or both. Stefan sighed. He had been planning to pick up a prostitute anyway, and she was free, so... In the end, he decided that he would meet with her. He could always refuse her offer if he didn't like it, and if she tried to kill or maim him, he would have his claymore to defend himself with.

When an hour had passed, Stefan stood up and strode back into the bar. He ascended the stairs to the second floor and made his way down the hallway. He arrived at the third door from the left and hesitated, wondering if this was a bad idea, but slid the key into the lock anyway and opened the door.

Two candles sat on the dresser, illuminating the room. It was one of the better rooms, with a double bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a window with a picturesque view of the waterfront. Salena was sitting on the bed, half-shrouded in darkness. As he entered the room, she stood up and casually walked up to him.

"Shh..." she murmured, as he was about to ask her what her offer was, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Let the offer wait until morning. Let's just enjoy the night..."

Stefan felt her breasts press up against him and her hips lean seductively into his, and decided that the offer could wait until morning.