Blackrock Mercenaries

Rita moved, her sword raised, but she stopped herself as Janice pulled the teenage boy into a tight hug. He gripped her back, half laughing, and half crying, as her wings flapped and raised him into the air.

The trickster sprites outside glowed brighter, and a light that shone a variety of hues from the stained glass windows bathed over them both. If pressed, I would have sworn that I could smell the scent of flowers, but the growths that had sprung into life from Bethel's blood were long since gone.

A tear flowed down from Father Thed's cheek, and I heard him whispering to himself. "Floranian, you've blessed us. Was this your plan all along?"

I didn't respond to that. It was possible the goddess of gardens and life had pulled this off, but if she had, I wished she had done it a different way. Penny appeared beside me at the same time that Sasha and Rita drifted over. Bethel's attention remained fixed on her daughter, slowly dancing with Clarince through the air.

Nethlim joined our small huddle after he patted his wife on the shoulder. We greeted him cordially, and together walked away from the heartwarming display to Father Thed's office. It didn't take us long to settle in, and as soon as the door closed, Nethlim hid his face in his hands.

"Are you ok?" Sasha asked, moving to his side.

"They're going to live." Sobs made his words hard to make out, as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "They're going to live."

I gave a curt nod and glanced back at the door, half expecting Zelene or someone else to walk in. As future council members, others should be here, but I was glad they weren't. The mayor had a contract with us he had yet to fulfill, and I wanted to know if he planned on trying to weasel out of it.

"That they are. But we have things to discuss, do we not?"

"We do?" He blinked at me, and I could see confusion warring with his joy.

"Yes." I let out a cough and pulled the contract from my pocket. "You hired us to fight the undead. Which we did. Thus—"

He let out a laugh that sounded almost as joyous as his daughter. "You'll get your money, and then some. After what you did? Please. I owe you a fortune, though I don't have one to give. If they're anything, anything, I can do for you. Let me know."

"That isn't money?" I looked at him, and deliberately didn't glance at Rita.

"No. We've never been rich. Supplies maybe? Or something else?"

This time I let myself look towards Rita, though my gaze swept to Penny and Sasha. When I turned back to him, I wore a small smile.

"Are all your wife's dresses illusionary?"

"What?" he blinked, flushed, and then quickly shook his head. "I don't know what you're implying but, no."

"Do you have a tailor you use? My companions here need something more suitable to wear to when we meet with a lord we're travelling too. Nor am I, for that matter. Perhaps you can get us something?" I smiled as his flushed face calmed.

"Clothes? Why yes, that's simple enough. When would you need it done by?"

I shrugged. "How soon can you manage it? We would, of course, be on hand during that time to make sure your daughters… coronation? Take over? However you want to put it, goes smoothly. For a modest fee, of course."

"Of course." He didn't sound surprised, but he leaned over to shake my hand. "A few days then. Three tops? You'll stay in the manor with us, of course. I insist."

"That would be lovely, thank you." I paused. "You wouldn't happen to have a ballroom, would you?"

The question made him frown. "A ballroom? No, not as such. Our house is bigger than most, but not that much bigger. Why?"

"My companions need to learn to dance, and I need space to teach them. We have an upcoming event. The Flower Festival at Yuliosa, and with the nobility visiting, they need to know how. You and your wife would be more than welcome, of course."

"Thank you, but I think we'll be busy." Nethlim gave a small chuckle. "As for the dancing, I'm sure I can find you space. Are you sure that's all you need?"

"That's all." I nodded, and once again we shook on it.

The rest of the day was meetings. Zelene and some other villagers came in and we discussed details of the council. Penny and Rita both slipped away, but Sasha stayed. I found myself impressed each time she stepped in. It was never in big ways, but she pounced on unfairness or any signs that people might be treated unfairly with true ferocity.

Between us, the sun was going down when we had completed the paperwork. Outside, I could hear the sounds of celebration, and I allowed myself the chance to stretch. Eyes pivoted in my direction when I stood and held out a hand to help Sasha to her feet.

"If that's all, ladies and gentlemen? I need to check in on my employer."

A round of acknowledgements met my words, and I gave a small bow before opening the door for Sasha and following her outside. As we moved somewhere more private, I found myself inclined to ask.

"You talked like you've done this sort of thing before. Did you learn that at the alchemist academy?"

She shook her head, and we paused in the main church area. No one was around, but I could see the doors were open, and people had taken to the streets. Sprites flew about overhead as townsfolk gathered around Janice. The new Chaos Queen stood far taller now, and her long dark hair rippled behind her like a waterfall. Her extra arms were gone, and one of her hands was occupied being wrapped up in Clarince's.

"I worked on the road for a while, before I met Penny. When I was a journeyman." Sasha kept her voice low. "People need potions, and I wanted to make sure people got the best deals."

Deliberately, I kept my attention away from her. "It sounds like you did a good job."

"Where I could." Her curt tone told me she didn't want to go into details.

"Well, if you ever want to help me out again, I'd appreciate it." I let myself smile before I gestured at the revelry. "Shall we? Rita will want a debrief, I'm sure."

"She might be proud of you for this, despite threatening to shoot a child. Which I'm not best pleased with myself." Her tone was low again, and I could feel the barb in it.

I shrugged. "Janice is fine, and no one got hurt."

"Would you have done it?" Sasha's trail flicked as she looked at me. "Shot her, I mean."

"Yes. But only because I know I had backup if things got nasty. That's the thing about a high stake deal. If you prove yourself unwilling to pull the trigger, even once, your credibility goes out the window."

"That's, you know that's not ok?" Sasha said, as she took a step back.

"It's what it is, and it didn't come to pass." I moved towards the door. "Come on. Let's go see what Rita says."

No one stopped us as we made our way around the edges of the crowd, and we soon found Rita and Penny standing near the coach. I checked the horses as Sasha talked about the formation of the council. A Trickster Sprite hovered nearby, but left when Penny pointed her weapon at it.

As I finished my checks, I found Rita watching me, her arms crossed. Penny and Sasha stood next to her. I saw Penny's familiar grin, and her speech about innocence came to mind. She, at least, wouldn't be giving me a speech about my actions.

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"You're not pleased with how I handled things?" I said, breaking the silence on my own terms.

Rita sniffed, and the tip of her tail flicked, almost stabbing the air. "No."

"And how would you like it done in the future?" My words were firm. "Because you cannot claim I had enough time to try to organize a plan with you. Not when you went into the room sword swinging."

"I want you to stop threatening children. How does that make the rest of us look?"

Her words made me pause, and I thought back to the optics. When I found my answer, I knew she would disagree.

"Capable."

"Capable?" She repeated, tone unamused.

"Yes." I gestured to the crowd. "They watched us diffuse a situation that could have turned into a bloodbath. They'll tell stories of us and build our brand. We'll be known as the ones who are willing to do what it takes."

A tinge of pride filled my words, and her eyes narrowed. Anger filled hers.

"And if I don't want that kind of reputation?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because we're better than them! We need to be better than them!" Rita snapped.

I stood up straight, shoulders pulled back. "Better than who? All the biggest mercenary companies have that exact reputation, to a degree. People hire them to do the jobs that are difficult, or a little morally wrong. The Peol Company—"

She turned on her heel and walked away, tail bristling. I moved to step after her, and Penny put a hand on my chest. Though she smiled, her words showed no sign of humor.

"Don't. I don't disagree with you, but you won't win this fight. Not with her."

"Well, she needs to see reason. It's her bounty, I'm trying to clear. What is her problem?" I watched Rita push into the group, stalking away.

Penny patted my chest. "It's not a problem. She just has ideas. But maybe you shouldn't threaten to shoot more children?"

"She wasn't even a child." I gestured to where Janice stood, her wings on full display. "And Rita attacked her mother. How is that different?"

"One was a monster? Come on. Let's have some fun. They're talking about bringing out booze, and I need to show you proper dancing before you have us doing the fancy stuff."

Though I remained annoyed, I didn't have any real reason to say no, and so I followed her out to the celebration. The night was pleasant, though Rita avoided me. I danced with Penny, leaning back into the styles I knew in childhood. Sat and chatted with Sasha as she told me about potions. Watched as Bethel showed her daughter how to use her powers to create fireworks and other illusions.

The moon was lowering by the time I found my way into bed, and I fell asleep with little worry and dreamed of the money to come.

***

{System Message: The Blackrock Mercenary Company has added Ten Gold to the Ledger. Current Cash on Hand: Ten Gold, Six Silver, Three Bronze}

I watched the numbers as I waited in the spare room for Rita to show up to begin our lesson. This was supposed to be our last day in Catswatch, and I wanted to go through the basics, if nothing else. Last night Penny had joined me, and I found myself surprised by how graceful she could be, especially when she told me her class was Archer, and she wanted to upgrade into Sharpshooter.

They were both rather still in class from what I had heard. Known for staying in the same spot for long periods of time. Without a doubt, the opposite of the Cathinil I had grown to know. A knock on the door made me drop the system message, and I moved to open it. Rita stood there, fidgeting with the new dress she wore.

Upon finding out that part of my request to her husband, Bethel had been insistent on being involved. I had left her too, and now I was seeing her work first hand. I couldn't help but acknowledge her choices impressed me.

The dress, like Penny's, was a soft green, though more suited for riding than for a ball, if not for the embroidery and other finery around the bodice. It was clear she had picked it to allow her to move easily for combat. I could easily imagine the arguments she had until that facet of design was taken seriously.

She wore no makeup or jewelry, but for the lesson I hadn't expected such a thing. That she didn't wear her sword, however, drew attention. It made her appear different, less in a way that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Without a word, she moved to where I stood next to the record player.

"How long will this take?" Rita asked, tone polite, but cold.

"This lesson?" I let my hand drift to fiddle with the record needle, as I glanced at a nearby clock. "Not long. An hour at most."

Her nod was quick. "Then how shall we start?"

"With the music."

I picked a piece, a classic composer, and a song I knew well. The Dragons' Lament, that same song that had played in Myrtle's Inn, filled the room. From the way Rita's ear flicked, I could tell that she recognised it. A frown curled her lips down, and she watched me as I approached.

"You're mocking me." Her reproachful tone cut through the music.

This time it was my turn to frown, and I stopped just within arm's reach. "How so?"

"The music." She gestured to the record player. "You know I'm angry about you threatening Janice, and that I didn't approve of what you did to Tobias. So you play the same song. How else am I meant to take that?"

"Rita, I didn't pick it to antagonise you. It's simply the single piece of music they have that I'm familiar with. The same one I used when I did this with Penny."

A small sigh tried to escape from me at the thought. She had taken well to the dancing itself, but her less than subtle barbs about the nobility the entire time got tiresome. Despite that, I agreed with a majority of it, though I wouldn't admit it out loud.

"No."

My attempt to keep the sigh away failed at her flat denial. I didn't move away as she walked up to me until she stood close enough I could smell the faint hint of perfume on her. The way her eyes narrowed was more obvious, too.

"We talked about what you did then. My disapproval. You work for me, yet you seem determined to do things like this. Why?" Her words held curiosity as much as disapproval.

"Efficiency." I met her narrowed eyes as the music played. "Because it's the way, it's done. People were panicking. They needed a show of force. Someone to take charge, and a reason to listen to them. I gave them both."

She shook her head, her red hair floating through the air. "They didn't. Are you saying you couldn't think of another way?"

"Not in the time I had. I got the contract, didn't I? You got paid. Ten gold closer to paying off your bounty."

"I don't want my bounty paid by threatening children." Rita reached out and prodded me in the chest.

"You don't seem to want your bounty paid at all." I glared at her, my hands remaining firmly at my sides. "Before I got here, what was your plan for that matter? Hope it went away?"

Her gaze fell to a point over my shoulder. "I had plans in place."

"Before or after The Lace Courier Company tried to kidnap you?" Poker Face failed to keep my incredulity at bay.

"They wouldn't have succeeded."

The music reached a crescendo, and I waited until it lulled before I asked. "Why do you even have a bounty on you?"

"You don't need to know that."

"Rita, I do. Even if we get the money, we still have to go to a city, maybe Peol itself, to give the money to the bail office. If we walk into a major city like that, are you going to be attacked again?" My mind raced as I put together old events. "Reeds already got shot over this. Who's next?"

I saw her flinch, and the music died down to nothing as she sighed and asked. "They shouldn't. I have information. Saw something. This bounty is an excuse, a legal execution because they knew I couldn't pay it. That's why it's set so high."

"And what did you see?" I asked, though I could tell from her expression she would not tell me.

"Do you want a Twenty-thousand gold bounty on your head?" She gave a dull laugh. "No."

"But it has something to do with the Peol mercenaries, doesn't it? I've noticed how strange you get when they get brought up."

She brushed past me, her tail smacking into my side. "Stop asking. Teach me how to dance. If we want to impress your Noble, then we should start."

"If you insist."

I knew better than to press an issue like this, but the fact that the Peol mercenaries were involved worried me. It also brought up other questions. Like why the Lace Courier Company was interested in her kidnapping, and how those two things connected.

It occupied my thoughts until we restarted the music and got into position once more. The dance I was teaching was simple, a waltz, the kind any noble child learned. Rita fought me the entire way. She stepped too quickly, moved aggressively, and tried to make turns out of orders.

Twice more we went through the steps, until I paused and shook my head, letting my hand drop from hers.

"What's the issue?" I asked, my tone curt.

She gave me a stern glance. "Issue?"

"You can do this. I've seen you fight." I gestured to where her sword would normally hand. "The timing of this shouldn't be something you struggle with."

"Maybe I don't trust my partner."

"Really?" My shoulders sagged a touch. "I thought you wanted to learn?"

"I do. But if you want to lead, I need to know I can trust you. Can I?" She folded her arms, an eyebrow raised.

She didn't react to my glare, simply stood there and waited for my answer. When I gave it, she smiled.

"Fine. I'm sorry. No more threatening children. Not that she was a child."

"No, but she was close enough." With graceful steps, she moved, stopping at the record player. "We fight monsters. Don't become one."

"A man tried to kill me for firing his father. Some would say I already am." My focus stayed on her, even as she started the song and got into position once again.

"Then prove them wrong."

With those words, she fell into time and rhythm with ease. We moved across the floor, our steps ending together as the song did. A smile crossed her face, and she bowed.

"Thank you," she said, before she strode to the door and vanished out of the room.

I watched her go, and shook my head, grateful we would be on the road again tomorrow.