Blackrock Mercenaries

The sun was barely up when the knocking on the door woke me up. A groan forced its way out of me as I sat up and turned to see a beaming Jenkins at the door. He jabbed a finger in my direction and then gestured for me to get up.

"You'll want some breakfast I bet," his words were cheerful as he turned from the door. "Don't go back to sleep."

It was all I wanted to do, but then I remembered what was going to happen today. Penny was coming for my first training session. Another small groan escaped me, and I stumbled to my feet. My clothes sat draped over a nearby chair, and I dressed quickly, my fingers moving on autopilot when working the small buttons.

When I was presentable, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. Everything I needed to make breakfast sat ready on the counter, from bowls to eggs and other things. Jenkins was waiting for me, sitting at the small dining table. As I waved to him, he shook his head.

"You're going to wear that?" He looked bemused as he studied me.

"They are the only clothes I have," I said as I moved towards the ingredients he had left out for me. "What do you want me to do here?"

"Make breakfast, and didn't I tell you that Damien's old clothes would fit you? Go put on something appropriate."

He had told me that, I realised, but I simply hadn't remembered. With one last look at the presented foodstuffs, I moved back upstairs. When I came back down, dressed in a simple green tunic and long pants, though I kept my shoes for their enchantment, I found Jenkins having a nap.

With a shake of my head, I moved to the food. While I wasn't anything close to a cook, class wise or not, I had needed to keep myself fed during my youth. When one was starting out in any business, it wasn't particularly lucrative in terms of pay. Eggs went into the frying pan, and I got the small fire in the kitchen started.

That done, I moved to slice the bread. It wouldn't be anything fancy for breakfast, but it would be a hearty enough meal. I added in some tomatoes too at the last minute, frying them for a short while before adding them. The sound of the plate hitting the table woke Jenkins, who let out a gasping snort.

"Hm! Oh, you're done." He blinked and accepted the carved wooden fork I passed him. "This looks good. I thought you couldn't cook?"

"This would be my limit."

I sat as he dug in, feeling the way my shirt dragged on me. Damien, like Abel, appeared to be a man with shoulders far broader than mine. We ate in silence, and then I helped him wash up. When I asked where he got his water, he said that Hester brought him a few buckets during the day.

"And bathing?" I asked, which earned me a shrug.

He blinked and then laughed. "You walk about ten minutes from the back door, and you'll hit the river. How else did you think we irrigated the crops when this place ran? I wouldn't bother yet though. Penny will put you in the dirt all morning."

"That I don't doubt," I said as I thought about my first meeting with the Cathinil. "Any advice?"

"Don't rise to her bait. Also, take the training seriously. If she thinks you're messing around, she won't let you go until she doesn't."

His tone was dead serious, and I nodded. It wasn't hard to imagine what he was saying was true. Penny seemed the type. We continued to chat until I heard a knock on the door. Four sharp raps that seemed to echo. No one called out, but a glance at Jenkins got me a nod. I walked towards the door, wishing I had my gun. Not that it would do me any good without bullets. Also, I wasn't sure I could bring myself to shoot her.

No one was at the door. I looked around and then saw an envelope placed against the railing that wrapped around the porch. My silent footsteps bore me to the envelope, and I picked it up. It opened without issues, and I skimmed the words.

You should always check above you.

I looked up and frowned, not seeing anything but the ceiling. A ring of a bell made me flinch and then Penny hit me from the side. I went down, and she laughed, doubled over like the first time I had met her. When I scrambled to my feet, she stopped laughing and leaned against the rail.

She looked different today. She was wearing a dress for one. A rather poofy green one, with wide skirts and lots of frills. It looked old and incredibly well patched. A black strip of lace with a bell attached to her tail.

"Oh look, we match!" She cheered, pointing at my green shirt. "Intentional?"

"How could it have been?" I snapped as I brushed myself off.

Penny paused, as though honestly thinking it over. "Destiny then. How do you like the dress?"

"You look wonderful."

The words were rote, burned into me from too many social events. It wasn't even a total lie. She looked good. Not ball worthy, but fancy enough. Her grin widened, and she did a twirl that wouldn't have looked out of place on any festival dancefloor.

"Thanks! You'd be surprised how much of a pain it was to find an outfit like this. But you needed a sporting chance."

"How is you in a dress supposed to help train me?" I found my arm linked with hers as she dragged me around to the back of the house.

It wasn't much, a few empty fields and some rotting fence posts that hadn't fallen down yet. I could see the river too. Jenkins hadn't lied. It couldn't be more than ten minutes out. I wondered why the path was so winding and long. A slap on my back broke me out of my thoughts, and I glanced at Penny.

I blinked. "You're wearing makeup."

She was. I didn't know how I hadn't noticed it before, but there was a definite shine to her lips. Her smile grew wider, and she nodded.

Penny leaned forward and whispered into my ear, her soft voice almost a purr. "Rita said I wasn't allowed to leave you totally covered with bruises, and you mentioned how much you value your reputation. So, compromise. Because I didn't tell you the best bit."

"And that is?" I stepped back, seeing the mischief on her face.

"You have to go around to all the neighbours and introduce yourself today. So what are people going to say when you walk up, little old me on your arm, and covered in… well no spoilers."

It didn't take me long to guess what her plan was. Though I couldn't see my face, the heat in my cheeks told me that a blush had broken out of whatever containment that Poker Face usually put on such things. I stepped back again.

"You can't be serious."

"Mhm!" She clapped twice and then pointed. "The rules are simple. I'm the hunter, and you Money Man, are the prey. Each of those fence posts is a goal. Any time you get there, you have to try to spot me. I'll be using skills to hide, of course. If you do, you get a safe walk to the next post. If not, you're fair game anytime you aren't at a post. End goal is the river."

I glanced across the field. Each of the posts was almost an equal distance apart, but they would take me in a zigzag pattern across the fields. The entire idea of it was crazy. If she had skills to hide, I had no chance to spot her, regardless of the outfit.

"This doesn't seem fair…" I trailed off as I tried to determine the best path forward.

Penny shrugged, and her dress rustled as the bell on her tail chimed. "Well, yeah, that's because it's not. This is training, not baby's first run in the woods."

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"How many posts are there?" I asked. "And are we done when I reach the river?"

"Yup! No tricks. You reach the river, you win."

I wasn't sure I trusted her, but I also wasn't sure I had a choice. Though she didn't have her gun, I had seen Rita summon claws to fight. If she could do that, I wouldn't have a much better chance against her. Though the way she blew me a kiss, let me know it wasn't her claws I needed to worry about.

A part of me wanted to refuse. This was both stupid and inappropriate for fellow employees. The issue was, I didn't know Penny that well. There was no guarantee she wouldn't come up with something worse, and it was entirely possible the entire thing was a joke to make me work harder. I weighed my options, and then nodded.

She had made one mistake. If we were heading to the river, it wouldn't matter what she did if I could wash it off.

"Alright."

I glanced at the nearest pole that couldn't have been over two meters away. Even I could manage that in a small amount of time. Though this wasn't truly a race. No. It was an endurance event, one designed with ample breaks for me to track her down. Beside me she shifted, and I heard the rustle of fabrics and the bell again.

"Alright," I repeated. "When do we start?"

"Now," she said, whispering the words into my ear.

By the time I looked in her direction, she was gone.

***

She didn't come for me on my jog to the first pole, though I discovered something interesting when I got there. The dirt around the pole was broken up, and a close inspection showed that someone had reburied it recently. I wondered if it was Penny alone who had done it, or if she had help.

After that, I looked around. A chime of a bell made me look towards the house and I saw a flash of green. With confidence, I pointed at a window and called out.

"Got you!"

A giggle from my left made me spin, and I saw Penny standing there. She was pointing back to the house, and I saw Jenkins standing there holding another green shirt. He beamed at me and then mouthed something. It took him two repetitions before I understood what he was saying.

"You should be more careful," he mouthed, followed by. "Run?"

Penny stepped back from me and bolted away, the bell of her tail ringing. She slipped around the side of the house and was gone. I watched the spot she had vanished in for a few seconds before sighing and running for the next pole.

Though I tried, I didn't make it. The pole was within reach when I heard the bell. My stumbling attempt to dodge didn't get me far enough away from her. A pair of lips hit my cheek, and I felt something remain when they pulled away. As I grabbed the pole and spun, I saw she was gone once again.

With as much care as I could, I scanned the field. It was dirt and the house. Jenkins remained in the window, his way of telling me he didn't intend to pull the same trick twice. I tried to listen, and I swore I heard the bell again. My gaze shifted right, and then I saw it. A tail twitching in the breeze. It was hard, like my eyes didn't want to see it. However, I had experience with that. Too many nights pouring over contracts looking for the tiniest loophole that everyone wanted you to ignore.

When I pointed at it, Penny stood up, as though she were emerging from the ground. "I didn't expect you to get today."

At her words, I shrugged. "It doesn't pay to be unobservant in my line of work."

"Is that so?" She beamed. "Let's see if you manage it again."

I didn't. She got me twice more before I got to the next pole, and this time it was as if she truly was invisible. The sound of the bell taunted me, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't see her. A single chime was all the warning I got before she jumped me from behind and locked her lips to my neck. This time, it was as if she had trouble pulling away.

Laughter faded into the distance as I whirled and then raced for the next pole. Again and again she got me, the sound of rustling cloth and bells haunting me. By the time I reached the river, sweat covered me and I doubled over as I sucked in air. To my delight, a small bucket with a washcloth and a bar of soap awaited me.

Penny appeared beside me and slapped me on the shoulder. "You got one! Congratulations. How do you feel?"

"Embarrassed and tired," I said, my tone honest.

I was breathing hard, and she gave me a nod. "Don't worry. You keep spending your mornings with me, and you'll get some endurance in no time. Rita will appreciate it. But you should take a bath. We have people to meet."

"Right." I paused as she watched me. "Are you going to…?"

"Going to what?" She cocked her head to the side and gave me her most innocent expression.

"Leave."

"Would you even know if I did?" Her lips pulled back into a smile and she showed me her fangs.

I didn't want to tell her I couldn't be sure, and I sighed. She grinned and then reached behind her. I heard buttons popping, and I spun around to her laughter. When I felt her pressed against my back, it made me shake my head.

"Why are you like this?" I asked. "Seriously."

She answered my question with one of her own, breathing it into my ear. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Spite."

The sheer amount of venom in her voice made me try to turn and she let me go to allow me to. I saw her standing there in a basic shirt and long pants. She had folded her dress and placed it on a nearby fence. With hands on her hips, she used her tail to gesture at me. There was nothing playful about her expression, but it was the scary one she used when she had threatened me.

It was serious, an expression I thought would be suited to a guard captain or military commander. "Spite is the answer more often than not. Take a bath Chad, I'll have one after. Then we're going to go visit people."

"Of course." It was all I could think to say.

She didn't stick around, simply picking up her dress and walking away. Even the way she moved screamed professional, reminding me of guards I had seen in the city. Her claim that she had stolen her gun from the captain of the city guard was making more sense. I wondered how much training she had received before she ended up with Rita's group.

When I could no longer hear the bell, and had seen her enter the house, I felt confident about getting clean. I did, and then, after remembering what Jenkins had said about Hester, brought the bucket back to the house filled with water. That got me a word of thanks from the old man, along with a laugh.

"What?" I asked.

He laughed again. "Your face."

"What about it?" As I looked around for something to check my reflection in, I resisted the urge to rub my hands over it again. "I cleaned it twice."

"Not well enough."

He gestured for me to sit, something my tired legs were grateful for, and then moved upstairs when he came back. He was holding a rather ornate silver backed hand mirror. At my look, he rubbed a hand over the unadorned back and then handed it to me.

"Annabelle's," was all he said.

"It's beautiful."

Any additional words died in my throat as I saw my face. Bright red lipstick stains marked my cheeks, my neck, and my forehead. They were picture perfect too, as though someone had drawn them on with the sole intent. I thought back to Penny, but aside from a small shine to her lips, they hadn't been red at all.

"What the hell did she do to me!" I hissed, as I gently handed the mirror back. "What is this?"

A soft snickering sound came from behind me, and then a pair of slender, but strong arms wrapped around my neck. "Like them?"

"No," I growled back.

"Tough. Do better." Penny let me go and ruffled my hair. "They'll fade by tonight. Don't try to wash them off again before then. It took Sasha ages to get the formula right and the last guy I used this on made it so much worse. His wife wasn't pleased, but what can you do?"

With a sigh, I stood. "Do I want to know the rest of the story?"

"Maybe. It ends with a guy getting kicked out of town for serial adultery and Sasha and I getting paid. The dude was a massive jerk, by the way. Sasha hated him."

"Right." I sighed and then moved upstairs. "Can I at least wear my proper clothes? If I have to meet people like this, I want to give something of the right impression."

"Sure!"

I walked up the stairs to the sound of Penny and Jenkins laughing behind me. With haste, I got redressed into my more formal clothes, though I missed my jacket. Without it, I felt oddly naked. When I got back downstairs, Penny was waiting for me at the door. After saying goodbye to Jenkins, we left the house and made our way to the road.

"You did better than I expected," she said, her jovial tone back in full force. "Rita will be surprised you got one."

"Did you make it easy for me?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "A little? But if you can spot that, I think you could spot any junior monsters. Plus, I knew you caught flashes of me the first time we met, so I calibrated off of that."

"But I didn't get you any of the other times."

I did my best to stop any annoyance from entering my tone, but she reached up and rested an arm around my shoulders. "That's what the training is for."

"True."

"Plus, you shouldn't worry so much." She beamed. "After I'm done with you, the lumber camp job will be easy. You can sit and scout for us while we beat back the smaller Timberains."

"Will the tyrant be there?" My thoughts went back to the ride into Leyloon and I shivered.

Penny squeezed me tighter. "No. Don't worry. That thing will have its own lair somewhere far from here. At least it should. Now, you shouldn't be thinking about that. Not when there are more important questions to answer."

"Such as?" I asked, a shiver running up my spine.

"What do you think Rita and the rest will say when they see you?"

As she spoke, I looked up the road to spot Rita and Sasha walking towards us. While Rita managed to remain stone-faced, Sasha's smirk told me all I needed to know. They had seen what Penny had done to me.

A sigh escaped me as Penny laughed, looped her arm through mine, and dragged me off once again.