Blackrock Mercenaries

I didn't remember pulling my gun from my jacket pocket, or Sasha moving to stand beside me, but the weight in my grip was a comfort. A snarl sounded out, and then the monster leapt forward out of the smoke. The body of the monster was that of a typical wolf, though the fur was so dark to be almost black, and its eyes were a blazing red. Two wings, large and the colour of midnight, dragged along behind it.

Rita met its charge with her sword raised. Fangs, too many for what I thought should fit in its mouth, met her blade. Sparks flew as she pushed it back, and it crept into the smoke. Above me, Penny's weapon fired once more, the loud boom making me wince. Sasha grabbed my arm and pointed forward.

"Look!"

It took a moment to figure out what she wanted me to see. Other shapes were coming forwards now. Smaller ones, about the size of common pigeons. Too soon for my liking, they breached the purple smoke and appeared in the air. They were almost cute. Wolf pups, their four legs dancing in the air, as their bat wings flapped with intensity to keep them off the ground.

Their eyes weren't as red as the older wolf, but they still carried clear hate for my, and possibly everything else's, existence. A squealing bark came from one and it made a beeline for my face. Before it got close, I raised my pistol and fired. A hole punched through the monsters and it squealed as it spiraled to the ground.

A roar filled the air, and I looked away from the baby Varglatog to see the mother charge forward again. It leaped, front paws reaching out as its wings flapped forward to buffet at Rita, who stood in its path. When had she moved? I couldn't say. Not that I cared much. Anxiety ran rampant through my gut, and when combined with the energy from the supplement Sasha had given me, all I wanted to do was run.

Sasha's grip kept me in place, and she screamed into my ear. "Reload, idiot!"

I did, though my shaking hands almost made me drop the bullet. As I worked, Sasha dug into her satchel and dropped something at our feet. Green wisps of smoke rose, and the baby Varglatog that continued to stumble towards us made a beeline towards Rita instead. It didn't get halfway to her before another shot from Penny caused it to explode.

"What do we do?" I asked Sasha as I trained my gun on another nearby monster baby that was flying overhead.

"Keep them off, Rita!" Sasha didn't look at me as she continued to go through her bag. "Don't let them dive bomb her."

As though her words were encouragement and not an admonishment, one of the bats tried. Penny was still reloading, and so I took the shot. My bullet clipped its wing, and instead of diverting its path, the thing simply fell faster. A shriek came from its mouth, and Rita danced away from the Varglatog adult, trying to use her face as a chew toy.

The baby hit the ground, and Rita stabbed him. It died, but the death seemed to do little but enrage the older Varglatog. A red shimmer passed over its fur, which grew inky, as though its hide had become liquid. Penny shot it, and I watched as the attack burrowed into the creature's face, only to pop out of the body without seeming to do much.

"Limited Intangibility?" Penny demanded. "Are you kidding me? When did they pick that up?"

"Who cares?" Rita said, cartwheeling away from the monster that was standing over its fallen baby, snarling and slashing out.

It wasn't an elegant movement, but it didn't need to be. Not when the monsters' attacks were hitting everything in a limited area. Another howl raised the air, and the last baby moved to hover around its mother's head. With two bullets left, I brandished my gun at it. Rita was crouched, watching as the creature continued to snap and bite at the air.

Once more, Penny tried to shoot it, but again, it proved ineffective. "Rita! The monster is cheating!"

"Yeah, they do that!" Rita snapped back. "Sasha?"

"I'm looking!"

A glance at her showed she was digging in her satchel for something specific. As though she could feel my eyes on her, she answered my unasked question.

"Hardening material. If it's turning itself into a liquid, we might be able to freeze it or something similar." Her words sounded panicked, and it was obvious why.

The Varglatog was no longer randomly snapping at the air, instead, it was once again focused on Rita. For her part, she was eyeing the sword, still stabbed through the monster. There was a tension in the air between them, as though they were wondering which of them would move first. It turned out to be Rita.

She raced towards the Sword as the wolf lunged forward. With a primal yowl, she jumped and flipped over the creature. The move tickled something in the back of my brain. A memory of something similar happening when I was a child. Before I could place it, she had the sword in her hand, and had spun, hacking at the back legs of the monster.

Though the blow didn't seem to touch it, the Varglatog let out a deep roar that drew everyone's attention. When she flinched, the last of the Varglatog babies took advantage of Rita's distraction and dive bombed her. It exploded into a red mist inches above her head. Even as Penny celebrated her shot, I spotted Rita rubbing the blood out of her eyes. At least for a few seconds, she would be out of the fight. Not that the Varglatog focused on her. No. Even with the attacks being made on the beast, its attention remained on me. The man who had shot its first child. At least that it had witnessed itself. I was pretty sure Penny had killed one still in the cave.

Somehow I doubted it would let me quibble about the distinction. With its strange form of invulnerability, I couldn't do anything to stop it. I swore I could see in its eyes that it knew that, too. 'You're going to die' they seemed to scream. There was no part of me that didn't believe it.

Panic lodged itself in my chest, and my limbs trembled with the additional energy and adrenaline. Fight or flight kicked in, and I knew how effective the first option was. With a scream I couldn't hold back, I turned and fired at it, anyway. My bullet went through it, piercing its eye as though it were an illusion.

Beside me, Sasha scrambled away, and I took that as my cue. Terror, both of the beast and for my safety, plagued my every step as I turned and fled from the battle. Rita shouted something, as did Penny, but I couldn't make out the words. They sounded garbled, and even if they hadn't, the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears wouldn't have helped matters.

Soon my world became nothing but dodging trees, and the sound of paws thudding against the dirt. I didn't know why it didn't fly, nor did I care. All I wanted was to be gone. My clothes ripped on tree branches, and I almost stumbled over bushes. Twice I jumped over logs, only to look behind me and see the beast flow through them as though they weren't there.

A part of me considered dropping the gun held tight in my hand, as though losing that miniscule amount of weight would help me. I didn't. Even if it was empty, it might allow me a precious second of extra life. A snarl came too close for comfort, and then something heavy pulled at the bottom of my jacket.

I twisted against the sensation, trying my best to rid myself of the garment before I could get pulled down with it. It became a twisted game of tug of war. The Varglatog tried to pull me down, as I fought to get my arms out of the sleeves.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"Goddess Malycka, Please…" I begged as my thumb got caught in the cuff of my jacket sleeve. "Please, please, please."

It was a risk, I knew. The last time I had prayed to her, I had gotten assaulted by goblins. This was different. My choices were infinitely more limited. We continued to struggle and then there was the sound of ripping fabric. The tear combined with my twisting broke the jacket, and I found myself on my face.

Behind me, I could hear growling, and I twisted to see the monsters savaging the material. Gold coins spilled from the pocket and landed in the dirt. I grabbed at the closest one, unthinkingly. It was a fortune in some places, and I was going to die with it. A giggle escaped my throat as the Varglatog continued to savage my jacket as though it had to prove a point.

"What good are you?" I asked the coin in my hand, through mad laughter. "Are you going to save my life?"

It didn't answer, and so with a shake of my head, I tossed it at the beast. While it did the zero damage, I expected, it did something I hadn't thought it would. The coin bounced off. My thoughts turned to Jenkins, and what I had told him I remembered about shifters. How gold influenced them.

Was this creature where the rumour had originated? It didn't matter. What did was that it was no longer paying the jacket any mind.

"So, I don't suppose we can make a deal?" I asked, as I waved the empty gun in its direction.

There was a flicker of understanding in its eyes as it saw the weapon. It knew the thing I held caused pain, and it didn't like pain. The inky nature of its coat was gone too, and I had a feeling if any of the others were here, they could kill it. A slow growl came from its mouth as its wings flapped, struggling to pick the larger body off the ground.

I pushed myself backward, glancing at the jacket and the bullets contained within. Not that I thought my pistol would do much against this beast. It would have been nice to try though. The sound of its wing beat was loud, and the air itself seemed to vibrate as it lifted itself into the air. My mind went back to what Rita had said. How it had dive bombed the building to get to the cow.

That must be its plan now. After all, even if I shot it, the momentum would kill me. Smart. Energy coursed through me, and I knew I had little chance. It rose further and further into the air, and then I heard the twang of a bow. An arrow pierced the creature's wing, and it fell to the ground. Before it could so much as howl, three more arrows pierced it.

Then, without any more ceremony, the beast that had promised me death in its primal way died. My heartbeat quickened, and I raised my hands and turned in the direction that arrows came from. Though I remained sitting on the ground, I studied the seven new arrivals. Six of them, three men and three women, wore the yellow headbands of The Howlers.

However, none of them appeared to be what I would associate with street toughs. They wore professional leather armor and carried polearms that looked well maintained. Even the way they stood reminded me of professionals. In a way, they were more similar to the group who had watched me at Healer Anna's than the group who had accosted me when I was driving the coach.

Though they were interesting, it was the seventh member of their small group that truly caught my attention. They were tall, six foot five, if not a little taller, and covered in a pristine white robe with lace trim. But it was the face that stood out. Instead of a human peeking out beneath the head, it was a jackal.

"Maybe we were a bit too quick to jump to conclusions with Jenkins," I thought to myself as I eyed the bow the potential shifter held in his hands.

None of them spoke, and it took me a few moments to get my throat in working order. When I did, I did my best to smile over at them and then asked. "Thank you for the save. How much do I owe you?"

That earned me a chuckle from the people, but nothing from the jackal headed being. It held up a hand, and I saw that elbow length black gloves covered his thin arms. The fingers ended in noticeable points. Though he didn't speak, a woman behind him did. She was short and muscular, with close cropped blonde hair.

"We'll be taking the gold and your weapon. Then you're to leave the woods before someone gets hurt." She spoke with a northern accent, elongating her vowels.

"Ahh." I looked at the group. "The gold you can have, but the weapon I need. We both know there are more monsters in the woods."

The potential shifter shook his head, and then the woman laughed. "No, you won't need it. Leave it on the ground. Any other valuables you have too."

"The gun is all I have, and the bullets, I suppose. But surely we can come to some other arrangement?" I asked, and then twitched when the men in the group stepped forward in formation, polearms levelled at me.

"Boss said leave the gun and—"

A familiar gunshot sounded out, and I watched as the heads of each of their weapons fell into the dirt. I glanced around, but I couldn't see Penny. Not surprising for a sharpshooter. The Jackal didn't nock an arrow, but the woman behind him pulled a shield off her back.

"Show yourselves!" She demanded.

Penny's voice came from what felt like every direction at once. "No! Give us back our Money Man or the next one goes through something important."

"Hang on now!" I called out, as I slowly got to my feet. "We can make a deal here. This doesn't need to turn violent."

"I think it does!" Penny sounded eager for it.

My left eye twitched, and I gestured to the group. "Yes, but it doesn't. You wanted the money? Take it. A fair trade of slaying the beast trying to kill me. Then I walk away, and we never have to deal with each other again."

"He's seen us, boss," she whispered to the Jackal. "We should just kill him."

"Don't even think about it."

Everyone seemed shocked when Rita appeared behind the woman, a sword to her throat. Though it was The Jackal who somehow showed the most reaction. Although his expression remained blank, it was clear he was studying her. His hands flew through the air, and he pointed at her, almost stabbing the air with his finger to do so.

It was too emphatic of a gesture to miss, and I watched Rita. Her face remained impassive, but from the way her tail twitched, it was clear she understood as well. A sinking feeling entered my stomach. That couldn't be good.

"Everyone who wants to live should drop their weapons." Rita's tone was icy, and no part of her expression showed a hint of potential mercy. "Now."

"Not happening," said another woman, who still held an intact polearm.

The last one, a bald woman with a permanent scowl, shook her head. "Besides, the boss wants you captured."

Rita didn't sound impressed, nor did she remove her sword from the woman, who I mentally dubbed The Speaker, throat. "That's a shame. Two seconds, or she dies."

"Why do you want her?" I blurted out.

Heads turned in my direction, and The Speaker laughed, despite the danger. The Jackal headed man watched me, his dark eyes impassive. Rita glanced my way, and I saw what I was sure was a hint of guilt. That was important, but right now I wanted information. No one moved to answer my question.

"How much for the answer?" I looked towards The Jackal. "I have gold, and I'd give you my gun."

His head shook, a definite no. Around him, people shuffled, but then The Speaker chimed up, her previous humour infusing her tone.

"She's got a bounty on her head, didn't she tell you? Not a big one, sure, but enough that—"

Rita slit her throat, and the clearing went mad. As the woman's body fell to the ground, a cloud of pink smoke formed around. The Jackal moved, nocking and firing an arrow towards Rita, and the last thing I could make out was here deflecting it. People shouted, and another shot rang out from Penny.

"Get her!" A man's voice screamed before he was silenced, too.

More clangs of metal on metal sounded out, and another clay pot flew into view. Another pink smoke cloud exploded onto the scene. This one covered me and I stumbled backwards. I almost tripped, but a hand grabbed my shoulder and kept me upright. To my shock, it was Rita's voice who hissed into my ear.

"Don't speak." Rita sounded serious as she pulled me away into the trees. "I know you have questions. Not now."

A touch disorientated, I tried to keep pace as she pulled me away from the coughing and hacking coming from behind me. We raced forward, but the supplement was wearing off and I flagged. When I was gasping for breath, Rita let me go, and I collapsed at the base of a tree.

Penny and Sasha materialized soon after. Penny was beaming, though Sasha was looking around, her expression worried, as though something was about to jump out at us. Nothing did, but she gripped her knife like a lifeline. Rita's ears flicked, and the three spoke quickly amongst themselves.

When I could finally breathe normally again, I pushed myself to my feet and glared at Rita. She didn't meet my gaze. None of them did. Though a part of that was that each of them were still scanning the area. I didn't bother. If something wanted to kill me, there was nothing I could do about it. All my gold and bullets were back in the clearing with my jacket.

"Rita." My voice cracked, a mixture of fear, anger and sheer relief at not being chased any more combining into one.

She looked at me then, and I could see her panic. The same one I had seen on business owners when they realised they had taken on more debts than they could pay back. It was a pure thing. Good.

"Rita," I repeated the name, as I gestured to her with my empty gun. "Why did you hire me?"

Her words came slowly, and it was the answer I was used to, but I hated it now. "For the same reason everyone else does, Chad. Money. Now let's get going. We don't want to be having this conversation here."

Before I could argue, she darted off through the trees, leaving me alone with my two fellow employees, an empty gun, and a head of dark thoughts to keep me company.