Author's note: In case you haven't already guessed, this fic is very violent and kind of bloody. It IS rated 'T' for a reason. There IS lots of violence. So, um, don't read if you're a pacifist... Final warning.

A Matter of Pride: Chapter Four; Mercenary

She was lost. Thoroughly and without a doubt. Terra had no idea where she was. Her hands were beginning to ache from the wind that whistled past and her hard grip on the asphalt that still carried her. She wished that she had held onto the bag of bandages and whatever else had been in it. Maybe it could have helped the ache.

Terra's stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since the awful hospital breakfast that morning. She hadn't any money to buy food with, however, and no way to earn it. Terra shoved the hunger to the back of her mind. The sun was setting to her right. The ground was drawing closer as she grew tired, now only a quarter of a mile below her. A city winked at her, its squat buildings reflecting the sunlight. Maybe she could find a sheltered place to sleep... She remembered camping out in the cliff maze that she had lived in, hiding in little crevices that sheltered her from wind and weather. Perhaps there was a place like that in this little city...

She landed clumsily and climbed off the rock. Her muscles ached from being in the same position for too long and the gentle rubbing of the rock had rubbed her knees raw. Terra gazed longingly at the chunk of asphalt, wondering if she would be able to lift it again in the morning. With a small shake of her head she drew herself away from morbid thoughts and looked around.

Every shop window boasted a sign that proclaimed it closed and she could see some timid faces in some windows. Terra wondered vaguely why. It was still light, after all. It couldn't be that late...

Then she felt it - a tremble in the earth below her... but her powers had retreated for now, exhausted from the day's use. The shudder got stronger and stronger until she felt as if she was trapped in an earthquake. The faces withdrew and the few people haunting the streets hurried to get inside. Terra alone was left, wondering what she was about to face.

"Well, what have we here?" drawled a voice from behind her. Terra whipped around to see the stereotypical bad-guy cowboy leering down at her. She trembled. "Pretty little thing like you - hasn't your mommy told you never to be outside when we come 'round?"

"D- d- don't you mention my mother," Terra said, trying to sound angry but only managing sad and scared. "J-just go away!" The cowboy and his gang laughed.

"Come on, boys! Here's a treat for you!" Terra found herself lifted by the back of her collar and thrown casually towards the gang, as if she were no heavier than a bag of plush toys... or something of the sort.

A strange anger welled up inside Terra as she tumbled through the air. How dare he... how dare he! Making fun of her mother and throwing her around - quite literally, mind you - like he was! Terra, frustrated, poked her powers into life. She gasped as the pain took over her body and bit her lip against a scream. Her expression became dazed and her eyes glowed brilliantly. There was a horrible rush of noises, screams and yells and all sorts of other things. Terra landed hard, bloodying her raw knees and scraping her hands so that they bled again, as well. Terra whimpered, fighting off tears. Her hands weren't healed yet. She didn't need all this!

Climbing unsteadily to her feet, Terra observed the damage done by her powers. No buildings had been harmed, but the road where the cowboy's gang had been had a long, narrow crack in it. There were folds in the road that suggested it had been ripped apart. Terra felt sick. Were all those people... in that little tiny crack? She turned, looking for the cowboy, and found him lying dead. His skull was crushed. Terra trembled. She hadn't meant to kill him... hurt him, yes, but not kill him...

She doubled over and emptied her stomach onto the street. People were beginning to come out of buildings and crowd around her. Terra lowered her head, scared to look at them.

Someone cheered. The rest took it up, applauding. Terra wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, grimacing at the bitter taste of bile, and lifted her head to stare at the citizens in shock. They looked... happy... How could they look happy? She had killed all those people! They were cheering... for her... Why?

"Thank you very much, miss," said an adult, stepping from the crowd. Terra trembled again, feeling tears prick at her eyes. "Those men were like pirates around here. We were all scared to death of them! They've been known to kill people who got in their way. How can we ever thank you?"

Terra stared. Her jaw was slack. Her eyes were wide. Her stomach growled. "Um, maybe some dinner please?" she said shyly.

"Dinner it is!" roared another man. "The finest from Joe's! Come on, little girl! Come on, come on!"

"Yes, yes!" cried another person. "Party at Joe's!" A tall, chubby man fought his way through the crowds. He picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, triumphantly leading the way through the streets. Everyone followed.

---

"Joe's" was a restaurant, it turned out. Outside was a sign that said, "Eat at Joe's!" in cheery letters. Terra turned to stare at the sign. It reminded her of the cartoons she watched on Sunday morning with ... with her family. Terra slumped a little bit at the thought, but she managed to suppress the wave of profound sadness that threatened to overwhelm her. The town was happy because of her... she still couldn't figure out why... but she didn't want to make them sad.

"Whip up our best!" Joe shouted to his staff, poking their heads out from the kitchen. "And rename it the... What's your name, Miss?"

"Terra," she answered nervously.

"The Terra Special!" Joe finished. The kitchen staff looked confused, and rightly so, but who were they to deny their boss? He was paying them, after all! They vanished again. Joe turned to the crowd. "I can't fit everyone in here, so The Terra Special is on the house all this week!" Everyone cheered again. Terra blushed bright red and buried her face in her hands. She didn't deserve this! She was a bad person - a killer! Didn't they understand that?!

Ten minutes later she found herself sitting in a nice window booth with a mountain of food before her and Joe sitting across. "What... What is this?" she asked, eyeing the plate. It looked good and smelled delicious, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

"It's a Terra Special!" Joe replied enthusiastically. "I guarantee that you'll like it if you try it."

Terra picked up her fork and shoveled a bite into her mouth. Joe was right. It was delicious! She ate as quickly as she could without looking like a starving maniac. Joe laughed. Everyone else laughed. Someone yelled for more Terra Specials.

---

That night, one of Joe's kitchen staff offered Terra a place to sleep for the night. Terra accepted shyly. She went home with the older lady once work had been finished. They talked for a while over fresh-baked cookies.

"Why is everyone being so nice to me?" It felt good to voice the question that had been weighing on her. "I killed those people! Doesn't that matter to anyone?"

"Of course it matters! They wouldn't have hesitated to kill you. I'm sure the mayor will have some sort of reward for you."

"I don't want one! I killed them! I... I..." Terra ruthlessly squashed tears that insisted, once again, on rising. "I don't deserve it," she said miserably. "I'm a bad person."

"Oh, sweetie, you're not a bad person," the woman clucked. Her tone was warm and motherly and just made Terra feel worse. "Perhaps it's time for you to be in bed, yes? Come on, I'll show you the guest room."

---

The crowd that had gathered must have included the entire town. Terra looked from the Mayor, behind his podium, to the crowd that waited eagerly beyond the hastily rigged stage.

"People of Pacificsville!" the mayor cried. "I, John Johnson (1), as your mayor, award this money to Terra..." He trailed off, confused, and looked at Terra. One hand clutched the microphone and the other held a bag of money aloft. Terra looked at her feet.

"Just Terra."

"Award this money to Terra in thanks for her service freeing us from - " He didn't even get to finish the sentence. Everyone knew why Terra was being awarded and everyone began cheering his or her approval. The roar made the planks beneath her feet tremble. John Johnson turned and pressed the bag of money into Terra's hands. She glanced at the crowd and knew that she had to accept it.

Everyone went quiet after a while, waiting for her to speak. Johnson handed her a microphone. Terra had nothing to say. "I... I... Thanks."

The roar started right back up again.

"There are a lot of monsters and gangs around here," Johnson shouted to her over the cheers. He wasn't using his microphone. These words were for her alone. "You could make a lot of money if you did more of what you did yesterday!"

Terra listened to the roar and looked at the money in her hands. Keb... Keb had told her the word for someone that made money in the way Johnson was suggesting. If she took his advice, she would take the title of mercenary.

"Thank you, sir. I'll do that."

The healing scars on her bare hands tingled.

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(1) – Well, I never claimed to be good at making up names…"Pacificsville" because the town is on the Pacific coast. John Johnson because... just because.