Koyuki, the Necromancing Foxkin

CHAPTER 327: Preparations

It was Solday and one week before Valeria's birthday party. Skadi had negotiated a price for our protection service and we were on our way to inspect the building for the event. Thanks to our carriage we did not have to walk and the reinforced roof was strong enough for Garm, since he was a bit too big to comfortably fit inside with us.

Valeria had rented a mansion inside the wealthier part of the city. It was surrounded by a metal fence and had a small garden. Just inside the gate was a square that could fit a few carriages with a small stable on the left. The mansion itself was two stories tall and would provide more than enough space for an event.

As we arrived the gate stood open and a small group of guards mingled outside of the building. We came to a stop and Kaito jumped from the driver's bench to open the door for us. As we left the carriage one of the guards approached.

He wore scale mail, not the most common type of armour. Another notable thing were his pointy ears; he was an elf. He had long white hair and a smooth face. His bronze skin showed a few scars indicating that he had seen combat. His age was hard to determine since elves aged rather slowly.

"Morning, you must be Koyuki, the necromancer." He said.

I nodded. "Greetings. Yes, I am Koyuki and with me are my friends, Cassie, Skadi and Helena. Then we have the undead: Kaito, Hatsumi, Garm, Nyx, Yoru, Ivy and Kasai."

He gave us a respectful nod but kept an eye on the undead. "I am Captain Cillian Nightingale and in charge of Lady Valeria's security. I am not a part of the royal army, my rank refers to the Barkworths' personal guard. I am the only mage among the guards, so your help is appreciated. I do have some concerns about the limited number of guards we have for such a building."

"How many men do you have?" Helena asked.

"Ten." He replied.

"That does not seem too bad. You can split them into five groups of two then place one group at the gate, one at the main entrance, one at the back, one on patrol and the last one in reserve." I mused.

"In most cases that would be enough. Generally our job is to keep uninvited guests out and deal with drunken nobles, however there is an increased danger here."

"Because everyone wants to assassinate Koyuki." Cassie stated.

"That is not all." Cillian said. "You have shut down the thieves guild inside the city and they are not a forgiving organisation. Further, they likely had backing from some nobles, they always do. You have made some enemies and so did Lady Valeria, since she had asked you to find the Iron Beak."

"I forgot about them, they haven't come after us yet." Helena said.

"Are you sure? We don't know who attacked us in Neth." Cassie pointed out.

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"Right! I usually just assume Ilestria when we are ambushed, or the Brotherhood if there are undead." Helena said.

"How much can we trust your undead?" Cillian asked.

"Their loyalty is not in question." I replied.

"We would gladly give our lives for Mistress Koyuki." Kaito stated.

Cillian stared at Kaito.

"Did you have a bad experience with undead before?" I wondered.

He looked at me. "I have fought the Brotherhood and I have cleaned up one of the villages where a necromancer decided he needed more corpses. Lady Valeria has vouched for you, however I have never fought side by side with an intelligent undead."

"You might be pleasantly surprised." Hatsumi said.

He eyed the runes on her arms. "So it is true, a vampire has become a spellblade."

"I will serve with the maids during the event and supervise them." Hatsumi stated.

"Have you toured the place already? Are there any concerns?" Kaito asked.

Cillian frowned and looked at me. "Are your undead in charge?"

"My undead are trustworthy and capable, you can treat them like people." I stated.

He seemed to ponder that. "I will try."

Kaito smiled. "That is all we ask for, now let us show you the benefits we provide. Nyx, would you be so kind and lead the scouting?"

"Meow!" Nyx saluted with her paw. Afterwards all four cats sprinted away in different directions.

Cillian stared at them while Kaito chuckled. "It is a lot easier to find holes in the fence if you are small. They will ensure that there is no easy way to gain access, or smuggle something inside. Garm will aid them with his nose, he will help to inspect any food and drink as well."

"What about the serving staff? Where are you getting them from?" Skadi asked.

"We'll hire them locally from a reputable company." Cillian replied.

"No slaves, I hope." I stated.

He nodded. "Lady Valeria made that clear, yes."

"Are you going to stay at the mansion for the next week?" Helena asked.

"Yes." He confirmed. "We will use the time to familiarise ourselves with the area and ensure that nobody sneaks into the mansion ahead of time. Let's take a look inside."

We followed him into the building, the ground floor featured a large ball room where the main event would take place.

"How many guests do you expect?" Cassie asked.

"Lady Valeria has invited a few friends and class-mates, it depends if they bring someone else but we are prepared for around 50." Cillian replied. "We will set up standing tables in the ball room and leave a small area to dance, if people wish to do so. A minstrel will provide music and entertainment. The buffet will be set up on the left but the servants will offer snacks directly as well. On the right is the dining room, there won't be a real sit-down meal, however. The kitchen connects directly to the dining and the ball room. On the other side we have a sitting room which allows people to discuss things in a smaller group."

"Seems fancier than last year." Skadi observed.

"What is upstairs?" I wondered.

"Bedrooms and bathrooms, nothing we will use during the event." Cillian replied.

We finished the tour and stepped outside again. The cats returned and did not make a fuss, so I suspected they had not found anything too concerning. However I noticed Nyx chewing something. Maybe she had found a rat, or a mouse.

"There is one more thing." Cillian said as we were finishing our inspection. "Lady Valeria's safety is important, but so is her reputation. The guests will be important nobles and expect to be treated with respect."

"I assure you we will show them the respect they deserve." Kaito stated.

Cillian looked at him, then nodded.

There were still a few more details to discuss, like the amount of tier two undead I would bring. Overall Cillian was willing to work with us, although I was uncertain how much he actually trusted my undead. He might have been simply following Valeria's orders. Maybe it was a good opportunity to spread our fame and change someone's mind about undeath. Hopefully nothing would go horribly wrong.

"So, maybe we should not bet on the chance of getting attacked." Helena suggested and I nodded, however Helena was not finished: "Instead we should bet on who is going to attack."

My eyes widened.

"Great idea!" Cassie agreed.

"Can we bet on two attacks?" Skadi wondered.

I sighed.