Blackrock Mercenaries

The meeting point, just outside of Leyloon, was quiet, as we all waited for Lord Henry to arrive to start the hunting trip. Rita sat on a log nearby, dressed in her work clothes. A simple tunic and pants, combined with the flexible leather armor she wore. Penny, and a rather bedraggled looking Sasha, wore similar attire.

I tried to ignore the latter's yawning, as I fidgeted in the clothes Jenkins had loaned me. It wasn't my suit, not that I had worn that in what felt like a long time as it was. The tunic was slightly too big, and green, and the brown pants cut off slightly above the ankles. Both made me feel odd, but neither was as uncomfortable as the armor Rita had found for me.

It clung awkwardly, and no matter how I adjusted the straps, it didn't seem to want to stay in the same place. Poker Face helped me not scowl at it, even as Sasha yawned again. I glanced at her, and she watched me, her expression telling me she wasn't sorry. That much was clear. Minutes into the party being held at Sheryl's house, the young couple wandered off by themselves to catch up. Then again, throughout the night.

Reeds had put on music, and the conversation had grown louder. Ted had excused himself early, a sour look on his face mingling with the clear relief at his son's safe return. I had almost joined him, but Penny and Rita had both demanded we spend some time going over what would happen today. Not that the plan was anything too complicated. We were simply here as a form of advanced scout. Lord Henry, or more accurately, his knights, would be the one to do the real fighting.

"Though that's providing Jackal doesn't show his face." I thought, as I fidgeted once again with my armor.

"Nervous, Money Man?" Penny asked, moving to sling an arm around my shoulder.

She didn't move when I glared at her, and I sighed, not bothering to shrug her off. "It will be nice when this is over, and we get the rest of our money."

"Is that what's bothering you?" She paused, and her side hug turned into a squeeze. "Aren't you excited about the hunt? Rita is."

"Yes, well, Miss. Thrumlin and I have different priorities."

My deadpan delivery made her laugh, and I couldn't help my own smile. As Penny chatted about all the ways she was excited to see Lord Henry try to fight this beast, I let my mind wander. It was true this would be exciting, but also dangerous. My gaze flicked to Rita, who was polishing her sword. She would be there though, and I had seen her fight enough times to know that she could probably turn the tide if needed.

"What do we do if he dies?"

That question threw me for a loop, and I glanced at Penny, finding her grinning face close to mine.

"Well." I coughed, giving myself a second to think about my answer. "It won't come to that, I'm sure."

"And if it does?" She pressed, letting me go and taking a step back as she crossed her arms.

I sighed and shook my head. "Then we're all screwed. So make sure it doesn't? It is, after all, what he's paying us for."

"It's not like you to be so negative, Penny," Sasha pointed out, as she adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder.

"Who's being negative?" She gestured to me, a false pout on her face. "Money Man has taught me the value of contingency!"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "You? Learning? Will wonders never cease?"

"Hey!"

As the two of them devolved into bickering, I moved to Rita, who looked up at my approach. She gave me a small smile, barely a twitch of her lips, as she let the rat she was holding pause in its work. I gave her a small nod and turned to watch the road that Lord Henry should travel down.

"Everything is set up, correct?"

"You know it is Chad." She sheathed her sword and draped the rag over her shoulder. "We just have to find it, and then let him kill it. Simple."

"Simple."

I echoed the word, my tone holding little of the confidence that she had used. That earned me a small laugh. Then she gestured to the trees behind her. I followed where she was pointing and noticed something small amongst the grass there. It was a Harvest Mouse, one of the smaller monsters I had seen when I had first arrived at Leyloon.

"If there was any real danger to us today," she said, still watching the little creature. "I doubt we would see that."

"Aren't they nocturnal?" I asked, thinking back to when I had seen them.

Rita's tail flicked in acknowledgement. "They are, normally. Some of them get confused though, and wander around during the day. It's usually a sign there aren't any predators about."

"Well, we are at the edge of the barrier. What about when we get further in?"

"We hunt like we always do."

Her confidence did little to drown my worry, but I did my best to pretend that it did. There were too many ways for this to go wrong in my mind. Least of all was the sheer power of the target we were going after. The Timberaine Tyrant wasn't something I wanted to be anywhere near.

My nerves plagued me until Lord Henry and his retinue showed up. Eight Knights had come along for the trip. They surrounded the younger lord, who wore silver armor clearly designed for fashion over function. Across his back was a large spear, and he smiled and waved when he saw us. I couldn't help but think he looked like a child dressed up as a character from a Bard's song.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked, as he stopped in front of Rita.

She gave a shallow bow. "Of course. We have its likely location, and will begin the expedition as soon as you are ready to travel."

No one noticed my sigh of relief as she gave the answer I had helped her rehearse. I watched as Lord Henry continued to badger her with questions, all of which she managed smoothly. As they talked, the knights spread out, checking in with Sasha, who handed them a variety of different potions.

Most of them were for stamina, and they tucked them into their belts. She had spent time during the festival brewing them, and though they weren't the most potent, I found they would work for what we needed. After the Knights had gotten theirs, Penny and I received ours.

"You're giving her an energy booster?" I asked Sasha quietly, as Penny clipped the glowing potion onto her belt.

"She knows not to take it early." Sasha paused. "It's all going to be fine, Chad."

A soft laugh escaped me. "I know. It's just we're so close to getting this done? All our hard work has come to this. Aren't you nervous?"

"Sure. But I trust Rita, and you, and the knights."

"Not our young lord, and Penny?" I chuckled at my question.

Sasha raised an eyebrow as her yellow eyes met mine. "Do you?"

"Penny I do." The answer was simple and true, which somewhat surprised me. "Lord Henry? Well. He has his knights."

"Exactly."

We shared a smile at that, and then Rita was calling for us all to get ready. I slipped into my position beside Sasha, and we all moved together, with Rita leading the way. It didn't take long for the trees to surround us, and I found us making far more noise than I would have liked. A glance around showed Penny at the rear, though another was as likely to have her vanished somewhere else.

"Tell me," Lord Henry asked, sounding like the one hour trek hadn't bothered him at all. "Do you think we will encounter anything else out here?"

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"Anything else, my lord? Do you mean of the tyrants rank?"

He shook his head, and let the butt of his carried spear thump into the ground. "No, but I would like something to practice on."

"As you wish, Penny?"

"On it."

Her serious, and quite professional response, surprised me, and I watched her vanish into the trees. Sasha glanced at me as she went and reached into her bag. I took the stamina potion she gave me and drank it down. The liquid burned slightly, but I no longer felt as out of breath as I had.

Another half an hour into our hunt, I heard something roar. Everyone froze, and I glanced at Rita, who held up a hand as her tail flicked in agitation. I wanted to groan, but I mustered up the effort to keep my tone even.

"What did she find for our lord to test himself with?"

Rita's face was emotionless, but her tail never stopped moving. "A Sprout Bear."

"I'm not familiar," Lord Henry said, excitement clear in his voice. "Is this a dangerous beast?"

"It's a cousin of the Timberaine's in a sense. A bear made of foliage and seedlings. Created when too many young trees are torn down, and a bit of bad luck. I would estimate it to be around level sixteen."

"An easy fight then."

Rita glanced at me, and I saw her hand go to her sword as she said. "As my lord says."

Penny came running into view not long afterward, a smug smile on her face as she did so. Behind her was exactly what Rita had described. It was bear shaped, but made of light green plant matter that had been unceremoniously smushed together. Splotches of dirt made up its eyes and nose, and filled in cracks to give it some form of definition. Thorns covered its paws, giving it the appearance of claws sticking out from all directions.

"Let me."

The knights, to my shock, stepped back, as Lord Henry moved forward, twirling his spear in his hands and then setting his feet. As though sensing the young man's intent, the bear roared once again. It didn't stop, however, simply continuing to lope forward. A glow appeared around the spear tip, and I watched as he stepped forward, lowering his center of mass as he stabbed with both his hands.

Red metal met green flesh, and the bear roared in pain as it took the blow through its neck. For a moment, sheer momentum kept it going forward, and then it stopped, impaled almost halfway down the shaft. No one moved, and then the red glow of the spear tip became visible from inside of the monster.

It roared again, this time in pain, and tried to wriggle off, but Lord Henry stepped forward to keep it pinned. Smoke rose from the beast, and soon it was awash with flames. Panicked movement from beside me had me turn, and I saw Sasha frantically digging into her bag. She pulled out a jug, and I wondered if she was about to toss an accelerant on to the now visible flames.

With a pitiful sound, the bear fell, the dirt rising up like a cloud that wafted away on the small breeze. Lord Henry pulled his glowing spear out of the body, and Sasha rushed forward to dump water on the rapidly growing flames. Penny and the knights gathered dirt, and soon the flames were out.

"My lord," I said, a tinge of worry in my voice. "Did you intend to bring a fire weapon into a wooded area?"

He sounded proud as the glow faded. "Of course. It is always wise to fight a monster with its weakness, is it not?"

"Yes, but if we didn't have—"

"Please." He cut me off with nary a thought. "My knights are trained to handle such matters. Come! We should be more than ready for the Tyrant at this rate."

"Of course, my lord."

Rita met my gaze, and though her tail was tense and unmoving, she continued to lead us forward. I followed suit and hoped that the upcoming fight wouldn't end with him burning the forest down. From the look Sasha was giving me as she put her pitcher away, I wasn't the only one.

Only one other creature crossed our path before we made it to our destination. It was a large horned owl, and it was clearly fleeing from the noise we were making. Despite Rita's assurances that it wouldn't be a bother, a knight wielding a crossbow took it down with one well-aimed shot. Penny grimaced from her spot beside me as it hit the ground, and we walked past it.

"Pointless that," she said. "Waste of a bolt."

"It's their hunting trip. Who are we to deny them?" I whispered back, low enough that I knew they wouldn't hear me.

That earned me a grin, one that lasted until Rita held up a hand for us to pause. We were at another clearing, though this was a far cry from where we had fought Jackals' group. This was no natural make, but a place where the trees appeared ripped from the ground and pulverized into mulch. The occasion stump sat about, and I could see the signs of what appeared to be lightning strikes.

Not that the area intrigued me the most. In the middle of the clearing, standing with its limbs and face raised, was the tyrant itself. Its tail of leaves and rotting wood coiled around its body, the tip buried in the ground. A soft blue glow coated it, and the scarred stump that made up its face didn't twitch as we crept closer.

Lord Henry's expression was one of hunger, and I knew why. Though the thing stunk of rotten foliage, and its massive body towered over us, it was undeniably a thing of power. No one could deny the person who took it down didn't deserve respect. I backed up a step, and Sasha followed along. Neither of us were here to fight it directly.

"Have you enjoyed your trip so far, my lord?" Rita whispered.

"I have." Lord Henry couldn't tear his eyes away from the creature. "You've delivered on your promise. This will let everyone know I deserve my place in the household."

Rita gave a quick bow. "As you say. We will, of course, step in, if required. Unless you wish otherwise?"

"Do you not wish to fight it?"

His tone held surprised, and from the way I could see Rita's hand clench on her sword hilt, I knew the answer. She did. Badly. This was a monster worthy of hunting, and it seemed to pain her slightly to give it up. From the way he looked at her, he could see it, too.

"Join me?"

"As my lord wishes."

He grinned and stepped into the clearing at the head of his retinue. Sasha, Penny and I watched him go, silent as the grave. They made it several steps in before the tail uncurled, and the strange lamia type creature uncoiled its tail, though the tip remained planted in the earth.

The cracking and splintering sounds of falling trees accompanied each movement of its arms as it faced the small group of ten.

"If anything looks like it's about to go wrong," I said, as the two faced off. "Shoot it. We can't lose him."

"On it, Money Man."

The tyrant didn't roar, it simply stared, the broken, scarred tree stump, feeling it was studying them. Each minute twitch caused the yellow and brown leaves that made up its mane to rustle as though the wind was howling through the treetops. My blood ran cold, but Lord Henry appeared unaffected.

"Beast!" He called out, stepping forward with his spear held high. "Today is the day that the tyrant falls!"

"He is trying to emulate the bard's tales."

I didn't bother to hide my sigh of annoyance, knowing that with the sounds of the monster, no one but my companions would hear it. Penny laughed quietly as Sasha let out a soft snort of derision. It seemed we had all come to the same conclusion.; From our position, I couldn't see Rita's face, but her tail flicked in obvious annoyance at the young Lord's bragging.

"We shall fight and—"

Rita clearly wasn't the only one who was sick of it. Faster than a creature of its size should move, it lashed out a gnarled hand at the lord. He moved, leaping back and sideways as two knights bearing large shields stepped up. They took the brunt of the blow, shields glowing a bright white light even as the Tyrant pushed them back.

From the shouts, it was clear they had expected to take that without budging. Rita and Lord Henry wasted no time rushing forward, before stabbing and cutting at the hand assaulting the knights. While they did, those with crossbows raised and fired, launching tiny bolts into the tree stump face. None of the metal projectiles pierced the creature's wooden head.

None of their attacks appeared to be having much headway. Lord Henry's glowing spear pierced it slightly, but there was no sign of the burning effect that had happened with the Sprout Bear. Rita danced back as the hand moved to crush her, and she rolled to avoid the other hand that came down.

More knights rushed forward, and soon the battlefield was chaos. I did my best to keep up, but it wasn't simple. Rita fought with her normal fluid style, ducking, and doing minor hit and runs. She was like a woodcutter, attacking the same spot along the Tyrants hand any chance she got.

Lord Henry was different. He tried to stay still, trusting his knights to use their shields to knock the creatures' blows away from him as he poked an endless line of holes into the Tyrant's skin. Beside me, Penny shook her head, face stony.

"It hasn't moved."

I watched it take a swipe at Lord Henry, only to find its attack knocked off target once again. "What do you mean? It seems active enough to me."

"No." She shook her head again and pointed to its tail. "It's grounded. Look at its arms. Lord Henry's side. Rita has the right to it."

A minute passed before I saw what she meant. The line of holes Lord Henry was poking in was closing. I let out a soft groan, especially when I saw the knights struggle to turn away the Tyrants' blows.

"What do we do then?" I asked.

"We need to sever its connection with the earth."

My gaze flicked the tail to Penny. "So destroy the tail?"

"Destroy the tail."

It was the obvious solution. The question was how best to handle it. Lord Henry didn't want either of us three to help, and I didn't want to distract any of the combatants as the Tyrant's swings got wilder. Panicked, I stepped forward, and the movement was enough to catch Rita's attention.

With quick motion, I pointed at the tail and thought about how good her hearing really was. "Destroy that!"

The shout wasn't loud, but from the way she stopped hacking at the arm and moved to go after the new target, it appeared to be enough. I relaxed somewhat as I watched her race toward the Tyrant's tail. Her sword raised, and it came down, surprisingly chopping straight through the appendage.

A sound of a tree being pulled from the ground, mixed with crackling foliage, howling winds, and every other bit of ecological disaster once could name. As the stump of the Tyrant's tail blurred up, smashing into her, I knew the battle had changed.

"Rita!" I called out, uncaring, even as Lord Henry raised his shining spear and got ready for this new round of combat.