I spent the day looking for a close-by warehouse for sale with minimal changes needed. It needed privacy but not too private to make it questionable by the people around it. I looked for a while with my kitty on a leash. By now, a lot more of the people around our neighborhood understood my profession and gave it no thought. It was scary the speed people adapt to things like this. In my previous world, I would be arrested for this.
II finally found a place near the main street that was an old warehouse for a nearby closing shop. I talked to them and came to an agreement since they were trying to get as much gold as they could before they left. I signed the contract and got the paperwork for ownership quickly after inspecting the place. It would need fixing up and some changes, but it shouldn't take too long with a proper construction contractor. It was still midday by this time. I found a construction company quickly on the main street and walked in with Kitty crawling in first. I smiled as I walked in to see a receptionist with a professional smile.
"How can I help you today, ma'am?" She asked.
"I would like to look for a contractor for a building I recently purchased, and I need the work made post haste, please," I told the girl behind the counter. I looked her over and brushed her off. She looked at the picture of professional and completely straight. I wasn't here to play and convert a girl. "No problem, ma'am. I will get the salesperson to come out and greet you." She stood from her chair and left. She came back a minute later with a man behind her. He came out and professionally greeted me before escorting me to a private room with Kitty behind me.
We sat down, and I showed the paperwork showing the place I owned. "Now, this place is a little run down, and the roof needs fixing. I want some soundproofing as well since I will be changing this into a Training house for slaves. I need privacy as well since I will be training slaves and sometimes the proper practices... upset people who otherwise would keep their nose out of things. Understand?" I asked him and the salesperson, and I started to talk more. I needed repairs to the building since I needed others to have a good perception of the place. I also didn't want it to stand out. The more run down it looks, the more people get curious. The best way to hide something is to make it incredibly boring.
I remembered in my past life how much this worked. Politicians use this best to a shocking degree. Now I wanted to do the same. After I got all the specifics on the basics that needed fixing on the outside to make it blend in and couldn't hear inside, I started to get what I wanted on the inside. While I talked, Kitty rested her head on my lap, and I pet her unconsciously, which caused her to purr.
The man stopped me when we started to get into deeper issues. "Okay, I think we need to take this to the building, ma'am, and we can talk finer details with a professional to get everything right, and we can discuss cost afterward. I agreed, and we left the room. We walked, talking about some of the changes I wanted and how I wanted them done quickly. The man had a notepad putting down notes.
We arrived, and the person whom I barely registered came out with paper and writing utensils. I was surprised at his lack of presence. He didn't feel hostile, so I left it alone. Luckily, a table in the warehouse was cleared off with many shelves around for the previous owner's shop. I started to point things out to the salesman, and the guy was drawing like a mad man. I pointed out the things I wanted to be repaired and things I wanted to be built. One gave the guy pause, but we continued like there was no pause when I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Some of the devices I needed built needed professionals, and one was for a recent contract. I hadn't found decent aphrodisiac drugs that would do the same trick, so I had to pull off the cheap alternative.
When I was done, the guy was still drawing out what I wanted. He took a bit longer, and I looked out into the sky. Kitty was having a nap from watching the negotiation. It was starting to get dark, and I needed to get ready to meet the Necromancers guild. I sighed, and we came to a hefty but affordable price. We both happily nodded to the compromise price, and when the drawings were finished, I checked them. They were good, and I commended the man on his drawing. He thanked me, and we parted ways. Kitty was a little grouchy. She got woken up and meowed at me before I told her we were going home and she could sleep there.
The trip was quick, and I made it back with more than enough time to prepare. I equipped myself with everything I needed for a fight, even if I had to kill them all. I was hoping not to run into anyone more powerful than myself. I called my cute tigers to come with me. They all gathered up, and I started to head out with them behind me. Freya and Stacy saw me off, and I scratched under kitty's chin before I left. I smiled as I left before turning serious.
I moved through the night with my tigers behind me. I motioned commands as we moved through the streets. Thankfully due to their decreased presence, they were ignored by the populace. I was in my normal cloak for now, but the one for the meeting was prepared in my messenger bag.
I soon reached my destination, and in the nearby park, I changed quickly, putting on the new robe. Instantly Shadows fell over my body. My body shape broke up, and I moved towards the Warehouse. Inside, two druggies had picked the wrong spot. I didn't want there to be blood, so I walked up while they were tripping on whatever drug it was. I took a dagger, forcibly opened their mouth, and killed them by spiking their brain before closing it. They were so tripped out they never responded to me. I wiped off my dagger on their clothes before I commanded my lovely tigers to various spots where they could either escape or help me in case of a fight.
I sat in a predetermined spot I wanted and prepared for. I stood there waiting. It was the time they were supposed to arrive, and they came exactly on time. Three figures crept out of the darkness coming inside. My instinct cried out; these were dangerous people. The smell of death permeated off them. I could smell embalming fluid off them. I watched as they stopped a couple of feet from me.
Each individual was cloaked, hiding their features, proving me correct that none of us wanted the other to know who the other was. We watched each other for a couple of minutes with no words exchanged. Then the necromancers pointed towards the dead bodies.
"Your work?" A male voice that was extremely deep came from under the cloak.
"Yup," I replied, slightly changing my voice to make it unrecognizable from my everyday voice but still feminine.
I felt the surprise at my voice, and the necromancers nodded deliberately for me to see. "Good, Clean kill no blood. Not an amateur like Cassandra in killing. The Newbie got herself caught the first time. Better the second time but with a Slave collar around her neck. We Necromancers are Masters. We don't talk to Slaves. We talk to other Masters." He finished, and I stifled a sigh.
"Most communication will be through slaves. My identity is important like yours are. Meetings like these are a liability and generally a bad idea. Now tell me, what is this meeting about?" I showed no weakness and stood tall in front of them.
"Good, A master, not a slave..."
"Shut it; I don't care about master-slave shit at the moment. All this talk makes me think you are a slave, not a Master. Masters don't need to talk about how they are superior. They just are. Now out with it!" I exclaimed, trying to cut out the bullshit.
"Fine, Since you are Cassandra's master and we feel it, so we wish to discuss further collaboration..." The cloaked man said.
"Cool, I can't read your mind, and you can't read mine, so please stop delaying and discuss. We are not in a place to talk for long." I emphasized again. My instinct made me impatient, and it screamed at me.
"Very well, We wish to purchase your gang for a considerable amount of gold and the Purchase of Cassandra with Carl.
"Rejected," I said, flat out.
"That is the most displeasing... May I inquire as to why?"
"Sure, you can. You have plans, and I have plans. My plans can live without the Necromancer guild. Your plans probably require my gang. It hurts to exclude you; it's detrimental for me to cut you off. I do not know your plans, but everyone in this city hates Necromancers. I may not understand why, but you are in the city's corners or even in the open practicing. The thing is, though, you can't say you are what you are. I can operate in the light and can cut off the festering wound if it starts to hurt. Thing is... My gang is not a festering wound. It is a small child still growing up. A child I can abandon without remorse, but it still has the potential to bring great returns in the future if I rear it properly. Now I feel you are starting to turn hostile. I wish for gold to flow between our businesses, but I am not sure if that is what you want now. Last chance. Tell me the real reason you are here." I finish a rant, and I am looking around, and I motion Zara to scout for me. I see her prowl off silently, looking for something.
The stare down starts, and soon a laugh echoes in the warehouse. "Fine. I see you don't want to do this our way..." He trails off as if thinking about something, and I melt into the shadows. I whistle the command to retreat plan D. My lovely tigers retreat with me. I move through a small hole and disappear from the warehouse. Enchantments activate, and shadows fall over the warehouse blacking out any vision. I sprint away. I move as fast as I can as my instinct yells at me to do so. My body moves swiftly, entering the park, but I don't stop. I move into the city and towards the guards. My body is moving faster and faster. My little tigers are following behind me closely. They follow my motions to split up and move home independently.
I was into a more populated part of the city when My instinct cries at me to stop. A deformed husk drops in front of me and yells. That's when I realize it. This is a fucking test. My instinct was crying out due to the odd nature of the thing in front of me. A person's instinct to the undead is automatically to run, isn't it? My instinct tells me I can kill it with little trouble. My instinct also tells me to run as far as I can from it. I rely so much on my instinct. I ran without thought. I eyed this husk in front of me. I take out a dagger and close the distance. It watches the dagger as I stab it in the brain with energy-enhancing it. The skull explodes, and it drops to the ground.
This was even weaker than I thought. I looked down upon the abomination and scoff. I smash the black decaying flesh underfoot. I feel the squish on my feet. I disregard it as it is dead. I then rand disappearing into the night. I wasn't going home tonight. My tigers would find a place to hide before heading home.
I found a place to sleep, ghosting myself into a brothel on the west side of the city several hours later. Their attic a storage space I fell asleep for a night pissed off.