Blackrock Mercenaries

For all of Rita's talk, it quickly became apparent how unnecessary I was for this operation. The three of them got together in a small huddle as I stood and watched them talk. Though talk may not have been the right word. Their ears flicked, tails twitched, or they signalled with their hands. Whatever they were saying wasn't something I understood, but it didn't surprise me they had their own ways to communicate.

After a few minutes, they stopped, and Rita turned to me and pointed. "Help Sasha gather her supplies, alright?"

"As you say," I said, and followed Sasha as she hurried towards the shed.

Once more I found myself directed to stand out of the way, and so I loitered around the door as she gathered her equipment. She spoke as she did it, not to me, but I caught parts of it. Delivery systems. Poisons. Smoke ratios. It wasn't the first time I had watched a crafter go into a stupor like this.

Soon she shoved a leather bag into my hands, and she waved a hand at me. "Hold this open."

"What are we taking?" I asked curiously. "And how much are we going to use?"

"Why?" She glanced at me, even as she selected several clay balls and wrapped them in cloth.

"Replenishment. If I know how much is getting used, it'll be easier to do projections for future supply expense reports."

"You love your paperwork, don't you?" Her tail twitched as she grabbed a bottle of something yellow and checked the cork with a careful eye.

I gave a small smile. "It keeps everyone on the same page as it were. The less people are kept guessing, the better off everyone in the company is."

"Good luck getting Rita to read it." She shook her head. "She's not interested."

"Yes, I'm aware. That will have to either change, or she'll have to trust me." I shifted the bag as she placed more items in it.

Sasha's ear twitched, but she didn't look at me. "She must if she hired you."

"You don't sound convinced she's right?"

That earned me a suspicious look. Her yellow eyes locked onto mine. I spotted the way her hand stiffened around the neck of the bottle in her hand, and how her ears bent back. When she spoke, the words were slow. It didn't take a genius to know she was picking them carefully, giving me parts of a story she didn't want to tell in full.

"Rita knows I've had… issues with people who prefer profits to people. So, to be blunt, no, I don't. I don't think you're here to hurt us. She wouldn't allow that. But if you did, let's say I wouldn't exactly suffer from surprise."

"Smart."

From the way she blinked, that clearly wasn't the answer she was expecting. "What?"

"Smart," I repeated. "You're right. My goal isn't to harm anyone, but it is to make money. You were blunt, so I will do the same. If I have to lie, cheat, or bribe to get us a contract or an advantage, I will. The company, and its employees, matter to me while I work for you. Others matter less. Though I will make it clear I'm not going to go out of my way to injure people."

"Or monsters," she said, and I caught a small glimmer of something in her eye.

"It's not my job." I kept my gaze locked with hers. "Do you consider that a weakness? Penny does."

She didn't answer for several seconds, and then took the bag from me after depositing her bottle inside. "No. You like deals, correct?"

"I do."

The change of topic threw me for a second, but I watched as she slid the bag across her shoulder. It rested on her side, and she placed a hand on it, gently stroking the leather. When she spoke again, it was with a determined tone.

"What would it cost to make sure you didn't decide to betray us?" She moved to lean against the workbench. "You said you won't, but I want a guarantee. I don't mean attacking us in our sleep. But more, making sure you don't get us a contract too far above our skill level chasing profits."

"Is that a real concern, or is this hypothetical?" I asked.

"Yes."

Her monotone delivery didn't help, and I paused to think about it for a moment, then I shook my head. "Such things are already covered under my contract with Rita. She has to sign off on anything I put before her. But if she won't read it, I understand the apprehension."

"Thus," I paused, my eyes trailing over the supplies. "I'll make you the deal for a detailed report on your capabilities, class and current workflow. If we're going to make contract choices and eventual improvements, I need to know how you work best."

"You want to know the details of my class?"

"Want to? No. Need to? Yes. With any larger company, I could make generalizations, but I suspect the three of you have more unique capabilities than most to handle what you do. Thus, a breakdown." I watched her, curious at what she would say.

Most people didn't care about talking about their classes or not. Everyone knew what advanced farming and cooking classes did. Some warriors and crafters, though? Especially ones with less common specializations could guard them like dragons with gold. If one had the right skill, they became valuable. Therefore, people often tried to keep that type of thing in the family.

It rarely worked, what with the system assigning base classes when one came of age, but that didn't stop people trying.

She watched me for a few more seconds before she turned and pulled out a piece of paper. When I raised an eyebrow, she shrugged.

"You said you liked paperwork."

"True enough."

A single use of my Instant Contract skill had our terms laid out in black ink. As Sasha read over it, I simply waited. Then we both signed it. With that done, I rolled it up and tucked it into my pocket.

"Anything else we need?" I asked, as she looked around the room.

Sasha shook her head. "No. Not unless you need something specific? You have a way to defend yourself, don't you?"

"I do." Slowly, to make sure she didn't think it was a threat, I pulled my gun out of my pocket. "It's not really designed to fight monsters, but it should be enough for something small."

"Single shot, black powder?" Sasha moved closer, her eyes scanning it.

"Indeed."

A smirk crossed her face, and she glanced towards the door. "Don't let Penny see that. She'll never stop making jokes about your tiny equipment compared to hers. Do you have enough bullets?"

"Fantastic." Not even Poker Face could stop the eye roll. "And I have enough for five shots."

"When we start getting regular supplies, I'll make you something with a bit more punch. Until then, just try not to shoot any of us."

"That," I said, as I opened the door for her. "I think I can do."

She stepped out and turned when I followed her. With a wave, she activated her cleaning spell once again. I studied the way the room seemed to shimmer with the residual magic. At my look, she gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"It's called Area Purification if that helps. Keeps everything clean."

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"Excellent. I'll be excited to read about it. Does it combine with anything else?" I asked as we walked back to where Rita was waiting for us.

"Only in the sense that it keeps my work flowing," Sasha said. "Otherwise, no. There are more specific versions you can get, but I knew I was going to be travelling at some point. Thus the more generalised version."

The last words sounded a touch wistful, but we arrived at the front of the hut before I could ask about it. Rita and Penny stood there waiting for us. Both wore segments of leather armor over their clothes, and Rita held out a set for Sasha. As the alchemist slipped it on, Rita turned to me.

"We'll have to order you a set."

"I don't see why." Our eyes met, though I could see Penny's grin widen next to her. "I don't see why I would need it."

"Better to be safe than sorry." Rita's tone told me my chances of arguing her out of this idea.

It took effort not to sigh. "We'll have to see if it's in the budget."

"Then do your best not to get bitten until then." With that, she turned to Sasha. "Do you have the supplies?"

The bag hanging from Sasha's shoulder shifted as she patted it. "Of course. Poisons, baits, repellant both physical and aerosolized, and of course the stimulants: pills, potions and smelling salts."

"Good. Alright, let's do a quick debrief and we'll be on our way."

Penny clapped excitedly as she came over to stand next to me. Her tail thumped against my back, and I shifted away. She laughed as Rita rolled her eyes. Sasha shook her head and folded her arms as he glared at the white-haired woman. Not that their disapproval did anything to stop Penny's antics.

With a sigh, Rita began. "The Varglatog went across the river, and we should have enough blood and other leavings from Bessie to track it until it gets over the trees. Things might get more difficult after that, but between Penny and I, we should have enough skills to get it done. Once we find it, Sasha will get it out into the open, and then Penny and I will subdue it. Any questions?"

From the looks on the faces of the others, I knew the entire explanation was for my benefit. I also understood asking questions was the correct thing to do. After clearing my throat, I held up a hand.

"What if it's not a single one? Do we have a plan if they're a group? From what I remember, bats tend to have colonies."

Rita nodded, but before she could answer, Penny raised her hand into the air. "Oh! Can I tell him?"

"Sure," Rita said, and waved for her to go on.

"Varglatog's are solitary creatures by nature. If there are multiple of them, they'll just be babies and those are small." As she spoke, she put her hands close together. "In that case, Rita will focus on the big one while I turn my attention to the small flying ones. You and Sasha will help with those!"

"You want me to kill babies?" I asked.

"Monster babies!" Penny laughed and nodded. "Don't worry. You don't want them getting bigger. They grow to be pretty territorial, and once they get old enough, they'll end up killing her and pretty much everything around them. It'll be… bad. Culling them early is a better choice no matter how you feel about it. Plus, a territorial mother is way more likely to start hunting people."

Sasha sighed. "It's true. Unfortunate, but true."

"If I may, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this," I admitted. "Not that I don't believe you. But do you need me for this? Or shouldn't we have a trap in this case?"

"No. If it gets overwhelming, Sasha has repellants and things for us to get away. However, we have the skills and knowledge to get us through this. Just focus on keeping Sasha safe, and we'll all get out of this fine." Rita nodded along.

I wanted to argue, but I could see it wouldn't do me any good. "As you say."

"Good." She gestured to the road. "Then come on. Penny, you take the rear. Sasha, you take the middle next to Chad. I'll lead."

"Yes, boss!" Penny cheered as she wandered away from me.

"And remember!" Rita said, as we all fell into position and started walking to the river. "Stay quiet, stay fast. If anyone can't keep the pace, get a stimulant from Sasha."

"Does that—" Penny started before Rita cut her off.

"No. Not you. You don't need the energy."

"Aww."

I gave Sasha a look, and she shook her head, stopping my question in its tracks. Not that I really needed to ask. Penny was energetic enough already. The last thing I wanted was for her getting stimulants. Though I suspected Rita had, again, brought it up for my benefit. While we weren't going at much more than a walking pace now, I knew that was likely to change.

That proved to be true not long after we crossed the river, and Rita picked up the pace. One thing I noticed as we travelled was how quiet they all were. I had the excuse of my shoes, but the rest of them moved as though they knew exactly where each dried leaf on twig was on the path before them.

As I watched Rita, I couldn't help comparing her to how the news boys would move through the city streets. Each step seemed premeditated to get past any obstacles, though in her case it was crunching leaves and branches rather than crowds. Beside me, Sasha seemed to stride, a touch more awkwardly than Rita, but with obvious signs of being trained.

Without looking around, I couldn't tell if Penny was behind us at all. Even her breathing was silent, though the few times I glanced over my shoulder, she didn't seem to be. Or, if she was, it was so shallow I couldn't tell.

Time passed in the silence, and an ache soon formed in my legs. It was a dull pain at first, but when combined with the difficulty in keeping my breathing even it was getting noticeable. Not long after I took a gasping breath, Rita held up a hand and stopped. That did me in, and I collapsed into a spot between the gnarled roots of a tree.

Thoughts of comfortable office chairs and restaurants that served large jugs of chilled water overtook me. Discomfort shot through my body, and I resisted the urge to wince. When I got myself under control and looked up, all three of them were watching me.

A look passed between the three women, and then Rita gestured at Sasha. Without talking, she nodded and dug into the bag and handed me a clay container.

When I met her eyes, she gave me a stern look and mimed drinking. The container didn't look like anything too bad, and the liquid inside was a neon green. It smelled sweet, like candy, and under Rita's reproachful gaze, I drank it down. There wasn't much more than a mouthful. It burned my throat and left a sickly sweet aftertaste that made me want to gag. For a moment, I thought nothing had happened.

Then I felt it. Energy raced through me, and I straightened up. I shifted my shoulders and swung my arms. The discomfort was gone, and I felt a strange sensation in my stomach. Penny was eyeing the container in my hand, but Sasha swatted her hand away before she could reach for it.

Rita didn't need to speak to get her question across. "Are you feeling better?"

I nodded, the movement faster than I intended, and it took a moment to get it to stop. My whole body buzzed, and I understood why Penny could no longer have these. It felt amazing, like I could run a marathon and fight a bear. Maybe two bears.

Rita said nothing else, and simply turned, tail flicking behind her as she led us down yet another game trail. We stopped a few more times, though this time my lagging steps weren't the cause.

Instead, it was because Rita had found something. She would run her fingers along the trunk of trees, or kneel to check on the condition of a bush. At one stop, she pulled a tuft of fur from a spot that was so grey as to be almost black.

Penny let out a whistle, and I jumped at the sound, having forgotten she was still with us. She grinned at me, an expression she turned on Rita, who shot her an annoyed look at the noise.

After a sniff, Rita passed it to Sasha, who added it to her bag, and we moved off in a new direction. With Sasha's potion coursing through me, it didn't feel like as much effort. We moved past trees and followed game trails until we found the cave the beast called its home. It wasn't much of a cave. More a pile of rocks combined with some large fallen trees. However, it was dark, and I could hear the sounds of snarling from inside. It sounded wolven, but higher pitched.

I spotted Penny watching the cave with clear intent. Once again, I couldn't be sure she was breathing, but I saw a flash of green pass over her eyes. Her tail flicked out, not hitting the ground, but making some kind of pattern. A dark look passed over Rita before she pulled us back a fair distance away.

While I wasn't sure how far we travelled, she clearly wanted somewhere she felt comfortable speaking. Although, when she did, it was so quiet I had to strain to hear her. The others didn't have that problem, but their ears had flicked forward as though to catch every word.

"Penny, what exactly did you see?" Rita asked.

"One and four."

At my confused expression, Penny elaborated. "One adult, four babies. Less than they should be. Usually they have a clutch of a dozen or more."

Sasha spoke next. "Did you find Bessie?"

"What was left of her."

"I'll have to tell Hester," Sasha said, and she sounded genuinely sad.

"Any other threats?" Rita asked. "Back ways out of the cave?"

Penny shook her head. "Without my scope, I can't say for sure, but not from what I saw. Wasn't this the old Porcubear's cave? They tend to only want one entrance."

"Huh, I thought It seemed familiar." Rita paused and glanced at me. "If you're done with the report—"

"Nope!" Penny beamed.

For a moment, no one said anything, and then Rita sighed. "Explain."

"There is a body in there. A human one. Male just from the size. No one I recognise, and I couldn't get a great look at them. But someone was messing around here before we arrived. That might explain the missing babies."

"Poachers?" I frowned, surprised.

They happened, and everyone knew it. Though it wasn't something I had much to do with a professional contract. Multiple playwrights had used them as villains over the years, though. I pictured rough men in dirty clothes, hauling rusted cages by heavy chains. The classic look.

"Not unless they're stupid," Sasha murmured. "There is little alchemical value to Varglatog's, though their wings and eyes can make certain potions. Not anything you couldn't get from harvesting bats, though."

Rita slashed her hand through the air as though cutting off the conversation. "We aren't here to investigate that. You say one and four, right Penny? Good. That means we shouldn't have any surprises. Chad, stay with Sasha. You have your knife, right?"

At first I thought she was talking to me, and then Sasha pulled out a knife. It was made of the same black material as the other weapons, and it became clear why they picked the name they had. I wondered if there was something special about that rock, and I made a mental note to ask about it later.

Energy continued to surge through me as we marched back to the cave. As we arrived, Penny moved up into a nearby tree, somehow lying on a branch that looked far too thin to take her weight. Her rifle was out, and pointing into the cave, as her tail once more waved in the wind.

Classes were something I should have asked about before, my churning thoughts told me. Sasha pulled out another container. This one was round, and rather thick, though still made of hardened clay. At Rita's nod, she rolled it directly into a cave. The sound of Penny's shot made my ears ring.

Purple smoke billowed out of the cave. I heard howling mixed with Penny's excited laughter before a shadow charged towards us through the smoke.