Blackrock Mercenaries

"Rita, if you would?"

She laughed as I stepped back through the shield that Mr. Perkins was projecting around him. From his wide eyes, it was obvious he hadn't expected me to do such a thing, and in truth, I hadn't expected it to work. I had simply hoped he was using the same enchantment as the one he used on the headbands.

My bodyguard was a blur, and I watched from relative safety as she stepped in and clobbered the man on her left directly on the nose. Blood gushed as he fell back, and she sidestepped an attempted grab by the other. His hands met air, her foot met groin, and soon we had two more headbands to add to our collection.

Mr. Perkins watched me warily as I reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it with a firm grip.

"Does that happen here often?"

"Um.." he swallowed and licked his lips. "No?"

"Excellent. May we come in?"

He was near hyperventilating, but as his gaze drifted past me to land on the down men, I saw the way his lip curled. Even scared, he was thinking those Rita had bested were rubbish. A part of me wanted to sigh. Egotists were always the worst to deal with, but there was little for me to do.

"If I say no?" He asked, as though it was a genuine question.

"Then you'll miss out on my rather generous offer." I paused. "Also, my associate won't take it kindly and you can see she's rather hands on about dealing with sources of her displeasure."

As though on cue, one man groaned. His eyes darted to the source of the noise, and he stepped back hurriedly, a new smaller green shield erecting around himself. I took the chance to follow him inside and found myself in a rather basic sitting room. A couch, a small table, and a shelf of worn books. My thoughts darted back to the enchanters I had met in Peol.

They displayed their wealth openly, even the apprentices. Any of them would have turned their nose up at such accommodations. Then again, less than a month ago, I would have as well. Rita closed the door behind her, and I moved to put down the bag I was carrying onto the small coffee table.

It clinked, and I allowed it to open to showcase the gold I had put inside of it. The enchanter's eyes widened, but he didn't lower his shield. Next, I put down the two bottles of wine. Unpoisoned, as Reeds had suggested.

"Shall we sit and discuss the work and your payment, then?" I kept my voice light, professional, as though this was a simple deal at a local market.

He shifted on his feet, and his tone was accusatory as he pointed at the bag. "That's a lot of gold."

"Well." I gave a small laugh. "That's because I know what your worth is. My guess, and it is a guess, don't worry, is that Moe doesn't pay you anything near what you're worth?"

"Of course the fool doesn't. How could he afford to?"

The answer was quick and filled with wounded pride. It took effort not to roll my eyes, but Poker Face helped with that. Instead, I tried my best to appear sympathetic as I looked about the room. For most people, it would have been quaint, but it obviously grated on him.

"How much is he paying you? The headbands you make for him are worth, what, a little under four gold? So I guess it's in the range of one hundred to one hundred and fifty for time and materials?"

His shocked look told me I had quoted a number that Moe wasn't anywhere close to reaching. He sneered and folded his arms, and I watched him glare at me through his shield. I wanted to tap my foot but refrained. He needed to be handled delicately.

"The fool doesn't pay me a tenth of what I'm owed. If it wasn't for the company, I wouldn't be here at all."

"The Lace Courier Company?" I asked, though with an inflection that told him I already knew.

"Of course." He let out a rather undignified snort. "Who else? Now, what do you want?"

"I need you to recharge some headbands for me, or procure me new ones. Either or."

He narrowed his eyes and then smirked. "I believe you should know I charge anyone outside of the company proper rates and—"

"Two hundred gold." I cut him off with both the words, and a wave of my hand. "Let's not waste each other's time. That's far more than required for your work. These two bottles are also for you, gifts in your pursuit to woo the Lady Delilah."

"What?" he spluttered the word, stepping back even though the green shield still surrounded him.

"Surprised I know? It's not the only thing. We have an appointment to keep, and I would like to make this a brief visit. Do you agree to my terms or not?"

Greed flooded his expression, and he twisted his hands together. It was clear he wanted to agree, and I wondered what was stopping him. With my smile fixed in place as I watched him wrestle with himself in silence. I had nothing else to offer him that wasn't a threat. He had to take this.

"Deal."

Poker Face kept away the visual signs of my relief. "Thank you."

With care, I handed him the yellow headbands and took a seat on the couch as Rita moved to stand behind it. From my position, I could see through the small door into the workshop. It wasn't much, but as he deactivated the shield, I could watch him work. He picked up an assortment of strange tools.

Some glowed, others sparked, but they each etched different symbols onto the yellow headbands. It took him well over two hours, and the entire time there was little to do but sit and wait. By the time he finished, Rita had resorted to leaning against the couch, her arms crossed.

"Done." He smirked as he walked into the room and plopped the pile of headbands onto the table. "Do you need to be told how they work?"

"Is there an activation phrase, and how long do they last?" I asked, not feeling bad as I pushed the bag of gold closer to him.

"No, simply will them to activate. It will know what it needs to do. As for time? The fabric quality is mediocre, and thus they should last for a minute each."

I nodded along with his words as I gathered up the material. "Is there a way to wear multiple?"

"There is." He sounded pleased with himself. "They'll know if one attempts to activate. Despite what Moe says, I take some pride in my work."

"Of course, Mr. Perkins." He met my smile with a sneer of his own. "Then we'll take our leave. Good luck with Miss. Delilah."

"Bah, I don't need luck."

"As you say."

Poker Face kept my sneer in check as I turned and left the house with Rita in tow. She was silent until we neared Sheryl's house and then she stopped, causing me to do the same. I waited for her to speak, but she simply stood, watching me, as though expecting a response she wasn't sure about.

"An issue, Rita?" I asked, when the silence drew on too long.

"Do you trust him?" Her eyes flicked to the bundle of cloth that I held. "To have properly worked the enchantments."

I paused and then shook my head. "Not fully, but I would rather go in hoping they work than not. Wouldn't you?"

"True."

She straightened up and gestured towards the house. "Shall we finalise our plans for the evening?"

I simply nodded in response, as I followed her inside to do just as she suggested.

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***

It felt odd not to be the one on the driver's bench for a change. I tried not to show my discomfort as I sat, squeezed between the two knights I had hired from Lord Henry. Together, with the three women on the bench opposite, there was little room for fidgeting without something brushing against someone else.

No one spoke as the coach bumped and jostled us. Not even Penny cracked jokes. Instead, simply holding her gun cradled to her like she was worried it might run away. Outside, I heard a whip as Reeds encouraged the horses to keep going, or perhaps to scare away a small monster. Though the latter was why Jenkins sat next to him, his crossbow cleaned, loaded, and ready to go.

In a way, it felt wrong for it to be this quiet. Despite Penny's assurances that she had delivered the message we would have extra colleagues, I expected something to happen. Someone to complain before we made it this far into our trip. No one had met us at the treeline though, nor had anyone stopped us so far.

"Times like this. I wish I was back in the city."

A smile crossed my face at the thought, and I tried to imagine what I would do back there. Paperwork, no doubt. Somewhere in a comfortable office, where I people would avoid me. That last bit made my smile lessen. How often was I alone back then?

"You ok, Money Man?" I heard Penny ask from her spot across from me.

"Fine." I waved her off and matched her lowered tones. "Do we have everything we need?"

Her tail flicked, the only sign of her excitement. "Bodies and an escape route. Are you going to be ok without me? I know how scared you get when we go into danger."

"I'm sure I'll manage."

"You better." She prodded a finger towards me. "We're relying on you to talk us out of this."

"Because that will be possible."

Before we could continue that discussion, the coach slowed, and I heard the sounds of horses snorting in irritation. Images of our arrival to Yuliosa came to mind, heightened, when I heard voices telling Reeds they had a crossbow aimed at him.

"Our friends don't seem pleased to see us," I said, tone snarky, as I gestured for the knight next to me to push open the door.

He did so, and climbed out quickly, allowing me to follow suit. Three people in lace trimmed white robes stood before us, and I watched them carefully. None of them were holding weapons, but I saw one had a small hand crossbow hanging from his belt. Jenkins did. His crossbow was pointed in hands that I felt should have shaken under the weight, but there wasn't a single sign of it.

Upon spotting me, each of the men turned, their expressions morphing into dark scowls.

"Where's Rita?"

I ignored the question and folded my arms across my chest. "Why did you stop us before we reached the meeting point? We aren't late."

"You're travelling with more than you should be. We told you to only bring your associates." A man, with a long spear strapped to his back, said, his tone haughty.

"That doesn't answer my question." I pointed out, but then waved away whatever he planned to say next. "No matter. As you we already informed you, we hired some helpers. Penny assured us she talked with you about this? Is that not the case?"

The spearman paused, and I could see he wanted to argue, but we both knew it would be a lie. This entire exchange was a scare tactic, designed to put us on edge. A show of force before the real negotiation began. He could see I wasn't backing down, or perhaps it was the armoured man next to me. Either way, he didn't appear interested in fighting us here and now.

"You told us two knights, who are your drivers?" He demanded, tone haughty even though Jenkins appeared ready to shoot him at a moment's notice.

"Friends, who kindly agreed to escort us." I paused, and then let a hint of a smirk cross my face. "You aren't worried about two old men, are you?"

That got a chuckle from Reeds, and the spearman's face flushed. Without answering, he turned and walked back up the trail, his speed picking up as he went. Soon he vanished. I waited, curious to see if they would come back with a greater force. When they didn't, I climbed back in, unsurprised to find Penny no longer with us.

"They didn't see her?" Rita asked as we moved once again.

"No."

She squeezed Sasha's hand, who looked afraid. "Good. This will be fine."

"Of course."

I wasn't sure if the reassurance was for me, Sasha, or herself, but I wasn't going to disagree with her. We continued our trip until we reached the edge of the clearing. Reeds stopped the horses, and I climbed out, helping Sasha and Rita down before stepping aside for the Knights. Neither of the armoured warriors spoke, simply falling into line as we walked into the clearing.

A small group awaited us there, which was to be expected. Jackal stood at the forefront, his elbow-length gloves peeking out of his long sleeves, as his masked face watched us. Behind him, his group stood, weapons pointed at Hester, who kneeled in the grass between them. I could see the worry and hurt on Sasha's face, and it was obvious why. Bruises, some old, some new, covered the younger mans face.

"You came," the man who wielded the spear strode forward.

"We did. My name is—"

"Yes, we know who you are." He stabbed his weapon out towards me, though the distance made the action pointless. "You know the deal. Hand Rita over, and you get the boy back."

I didn't rise to the provocation, this wasn't my first negotiation. "And if we don't?"

"We kill him, and take her anyway."

The knight to my left laughed, and I let myself crack a smile. Rita shifted into her combat stance, and I saw members of the other group doing the same. With a calm motion, I raised a hand and stepped forward.

"Please, ladies and gentlemen. We know what we're doing, and what's at stake. No one is fighting. You can take her."

Jackal shifted, and he gestured sharply towards the man who had so far done the speaking. He looked at me, and then at Rita, with a raised eyebrow.

"Truly?" he sounded skeptical.

"Yes." I nodded, and then shrugged. "We can't think of another way. So you can take her. On the condition that you release Hester and he starts walking first."

The man narrowed his eyes and growled out. "How do we know that's not a trap?"

"In the same way that we know that you won't shoot him on the walk over." I watched him carefully. "You don't."

"Fine. But she drops her weapons first. Then we send him over."

There were some nervous looks, but I didn't give them long to think about it. With a snap, Rita unclipped her sword and laid it on the grass before taking a step away from it. With care, I moved to pick it up, making a show of having it in my hand. That appeared to calm them, and we watched as they unbound Hester and helped him to his feet.

He began his walk first, crossing a section of the short distance before he was called to a halt. Rita moved next, walking away from our small group as she headed towards the enemy's lines. I watched her go, grateful we had taken our earlier precautions. When she reached the outskirts of the group, she paused, and Hester raced towards us.

Sasha tossed herself into his arms, and all of us stood to watch the display. Then she nuzzled against his cheek and together they made their way back towards the coach. The way he limped subtly as he walked proved Reeds was right in his idea to bring it.

The spearman smirked as he gestured to Rita, who was being approached by another man with rope. "Now, I believe our business has—"

A bang rang out, and the man toppled over, unable to finish his sentence thanks to Penny's bullet. I activated my shield, as did both the knights who rushed past me. Jackal was waving his hands furiously as Rita activated her own shield, just in time to block a swing of a mace. She grinned, and darted forward, her claws opening the owner's neck.

"You lied!"

I didn't know who shouted it out, nor did I care. As far as I was concerned, it was their own fault for not paying enough attention. Jackal pulled out twin sickles and wielded them expertly as he backed up towards the trees. Penny fired again, and he seemed to shift just enough to his left to avoid the shot that ended up in the shoulder of one of his henchmen.

My gun was in my hand, and when my shield flickered off, I fired off a shot of my own. Again, he dodged, this movement taking him into the treeline. Penny would track him down, or return to help with the cleanup, depending on his skills. Either way, we would not lose Rita. Not today.

Bodies fell, and I watched weapons bounce off the shields that the headbands generated. They flashed each time, and I found myself grateful as I used the time to reload another shot. Though it didn't stop me from flinching when a crossbow bolt stopped far too close to my face.

To distract myself, I watched the knights fight for the first time. They fought far differently than Rita did. There was no fluidity in their strikes, no battlefield dance. They were bulwarks, designed to take blows and then crush whoever stood before them. Each swing of their sword or mace bludgeoned down the unprotected fighters before them.

That was what they were hired for, though, so I left them to it. My job changed as I got Rita her sword. She didn't thank me, instead letting her second shield fade as she fought on. Once she had the blade in her hand, the Lace Courier Group appeared to try to fight defensively. It didn't help.

"Any more?" I asked, as I scanned the trees.

"Nope."

I jumped as Penny's voice sounded behind me, and she grinned. "Sorry, I lost him. He has some kind of vanishing ability. You don't look like you need help."

"We don't. The shields made it far easier than it would have been." I glanced at all the weapons our opponents carried that had simply bounced off.

"Good." She smiled and then looked around. "Sasha?"

"Back at the coach with Hester, Jenkins and Reeds."

"I'll go cover them. Though I doubt he'll try this again."

"Agreed."

She ran off, and I moved to Rita, who was standing over the bodies. When she noticed me approaching, she straightened and nodded.

"Are you ok?"

I smiled. "Indeed, this fight was quick."

"That's worrying in some ways. Did he really think we would give up that easily? Was this arrogance or something else?" Her words were soft, and I saw her glancing at the knights.

"For today? Who cares? We have bigger fish to fry."

"Oh?" She glanced at me. "Which would be?"

I let out a soft, unamused sigh. "Simple. Tomorrow we have to get the Lord his tyrant."

"We do." She gave a soft snort at that. "I think that will be easier."

With that said, we turned and moved away. That was tomorrow's problem. Tonight would be one of celebration, and then we would be one step closer to all this being over.