Chapter 3: Tormenting Mercenaries
Blade walked into the blacksmith, looking for Andrew. A silhouette towered over her, almost as soon as she arrived.
"Say," a deep, unfriendly voice spoke, causing Blade to cringe, "what's a pretty thing like you doing here? Are you lost, little girl?"
Her tormentor was tall, bulky, intimidating, and chewed on a cigar. Blade looked into his dark, menacing eyes.
"I was looking for somebody," Blade, who regained her composure, stood tall and unmoved, "I can see he's not here at the moment."
"You sure are pretty," the man said, obviously not listening to her.
"Excuse me," Blade cleared her throat, "could you move, please?"
"Why should I?" the man wanted to know.
Blade stood her ground, "I'm trying to get around your fat ass."
Suspense filled the air. A crowd formed, as townspeople tried to investigate the scene.
"Pardon me," a man fought his way through the crowd.
Blade and her enemy glanced at him.
Andrew.
"Could I see you for a moment?" Andrew reached out to yank Blade away.
"Where are you going?" Blade's tormentor demanded, "I'm not finished with you!"
"If you don't mind, I'd rather discuss more important matters with Forge. Toodle pip."
Blade waved goodbye as though she had made a new friend, while Andrew dragged her toward the door.
Andrew and Blade escaped the blacksmith, leaving everyone speechless.
While walking around Brightwall, Andrew forced Blade to tell him what happened in the blacksmith shop. Blade felt a shiver run up her spine as she relived the experience.
"I walked outside of the pawnbroker to find a crowd gather around the blacksmith. I thought there was an event of some sort until I heard the man in front of me exclaim that a bold and cheeky young lady was trying to pick a fight with a mercenary. I thought 'I only know one young lady stupid enough to do something like that.' You almost gave me a heart attack!" Andrew scolded at Blade.
Blade shrugged, "In my defense, he deserved it."
Andrew turned and stopped, dead in his track.
"Uh, Blade," his voice hinted a pinch of fear.
Blade followed his gaze. Behind them, the man from the blacksmith searched the streets for her.
"Run, Andrew," Blade whispered to him.
"What?"
"Run!" she yelled and bolted in one direction.
Andrew turned to see the mercenary almost an arms length away from him. He took off in the opposite direction just as the man reached toward him.
"Hey! Get back here!" Andrew heard the man call after him.
About 10 minutes later, Andrew found Blade again, panting behind the pawnbroker.
As he approached her, she smiled at him.
Andrew grinned and said, "Well, now that we're done harassing mercs, is there something you needed?"
"Just browsing," Blade batted her long, dark eyelashes while adding, "but I wanted to see if you were interested in exploring the library's Reliquary?"
"Uh, sure, Blade. Sounds like fun. Would you like to take a look at the blacksmith's weapons first?"
"Depends. Is that mercenary still there?"
"I don't see him."
"In that case, show me your selection of swords."
Andrew and Blade fought side by side, surrounded by thousands upon thousands of decaying hollow men. While exploring the abandoned Reliquary, the duo discovered books and gems and other miscellaneous items neither of them needed. They were attacked by so many hollow men that soon kills became scores and the one with the most won. Their situation would've ended badly if Blade was not a Hero or if Andrew had refused her offer. Blade began generating will and Andrew lunged toward the nearest enemy. After one hit of Blade's fire spell, most of the hollow men went up in flames. The remaining skeletons were no match to Andrew's sword.
Andrew and Blade ambled deeper into the Reliquary. Andrew, in an attempt to make a move, yawned and stretched his arm so that it brushed Blade's farthest shoulder to him.
Blade glanced at him, "What was that?"
Andrew blushed, ashamed that his attempt had failed, "I was trying to hit on you."
Blade raised an eyebrow, "really?"
Andrew studied her, "What do you mean, 'really'? Are you trying to tell me that you don't attract many men?"
"I dunno," Blade said with a shrug, "I haven't noticed."
"You haven't noticed? How haven't you noticed?"
"I've been busy. You know, rebellion and such," Blade said.
"Ah," said Andrew, adding, "what's that?" as he squinted down the corridor.
Blade followed his gaze. A bright light shone.
"I believe that's what I'm supposed to retrieve," Blade said, approaching it.
"Wait," Andrew said, clasping Blade's wrist. "What if it's dangerous?"
"Then run," Blade answered, shaking Andrew's grasp off her and turning to the light, once more.
Carefully, she walked toward it. As she got closer, she made out a fuzzy outline.
"What is it?" asked Andrew.
"It's..." called Blade. She stumbled closer. A noise emitted from the object. She listened for a moment, making out a slightly familiar tune. Where had she heard it before?
"It's a music box," she said, searching her memories for the tune.
Her mind traveled back to Sparrow, holding her baby girl in her arms and humming the tune.
That's right! smiled Blade as she remembered.
Humming along with her past, Blade reached for the music box.
Pocketing the music box, she and Andrew retreated from the Reliquary.
Side-by-side, they walked to the blacksmith where they parted ways. Andrew entered the blacksmith shop. He turned his back on Blade for a split second, but when he went to face her again, Andrew noticed that she had vanished. Maybe it was just his imagination. Andrew stopped to consider what he knew. Maybe she really was a Hero?
After a quick visit to the Sanctuary to speak with Jasper, Blade discovered that Walter was waiting at the Brightwall pub. Blade groaned at this inconvenience and met up with the old soldier. She followed him to an elevated section of the tavern and discovered a drunk mercenary, passed out at a lone table.
"Take his clothes," Walter commanded.
"Isn't this a little over the top?" Blade asked.
"Come on," Walter said. "I have an idea."
With a disgusted look on her face, Blade stripped the mercenary of his equipment.
"This'll be your disguise," Walter smiled.
"Disguise for what?" Blade asked. Then something clicked inside of her. "You don't mean-?" she gasped.
Walter's smile widened.
"You're despicable!" Blade's eyes shone with mischief.
"Go on," Walter said. "You'll need the finishing touches: his facial hair and tattoos."
"Tattoos!" Blade grinned.
"Maybe that is a bit over the top," Walter thought aloud.
Blade hurried away before Walter could change his mind.
Blade obtained facial hair and tattoos from various shops around town. When her disguise was complete, Blade returned to the Sanctuary to wear it. She then teleported to Mispeak Valley to find the mercenary camp.
"Jimmy!" a merc called from a tall lookout tower.
Blade glanced at him.
"Show those Dwellers no mercy, huh?" the merc asked. "Come on in, then."
As if on cue, the gates opened and Blade entered the camp with caution.
Shortly after she arrived, a thug waved her over to a group of mercenaries.
"Jimmy, my man! Where have you been? We were just talking about you," he said, throwing his arm over Blade's shoulder.
The merc did a double take. "Hey. Did you get a haircut or something? I feel like something's different about you."
Blade shrugged and nervously brushed his arm off her. She backed away from him, hoping he wouldn't figure it out.
She bumped into more of Jimmy's friends as she retreated from the first thug.
"Hey, Jimmy," said one.
Blade gave a slight nod.
"You're not Jimmy!" declared another.
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the one Blade nearly escaped from.
"Jimmy has periwinkle eyes," the third said.
The color drained from Blade's face. She drew her sword as a group of angry mercenary cornered her.
"Couldn't we settle this over a pint?" she asked, with an sheepish grin.
The only response was a low growl as the mercenaries cornered her.
"No?" she tried again.
"Get her!" one merc shouted.
Suddenly, the mercenaries jumped on her. Out of panic, Blade forced will out of her gauntlet. The ground rumbled. Fire burned a few of the men. An explosive barrel positioned nearby detonated.
For a moment, time slowed down. Blade watched the barrel with realization and threw herself out of the way. As time sped up again, Blade managed to escape the barrel's debris.
Scrambling to her feet, she followed the road. It led her to a series of open gates. Behind each, a set of gunmen waited for her. Luckily for her, by each set of thugs was an explosive barrel.
If she aimed her pistol just right, then Blade could send the entire camp up in flames.
Getting through the camp was the easy. As Blade reached the end of the line, she found herself face to face with a frighteningly familiar merc.
Blade entered the last gate, only to have it shut behind her. Cheers came from all around. It seemed to Blade that they had been expecting her. This can't be good, she thought.
A shadow consumed her. Blade turned to her enemy and momentarily observed a cigar dangling from his mouth. But, gee, she thought, that cigar does look familiar…
Her blood ran cold as her eyes peered up his face.
Those dark eyes! she thought and her face dropped.
"Hey, beautiful," he said. Blade cringed as he laughed. "Miss me?"
"Fancy meeting you here," she forced a shy smile.
He chuckled. "Whoever thought such a pretty girl could cause so much destruction? Or any girl, really."
"Well, you know," Blade shrugged. "Girls aren't all sugar and spice."
"You got that right," he said. "What was your plan anyway? Storm in here and blow up my camp? Men and all?"
Blade's heart stopped as she recognized his face from a wanted poster. "You're Saker, huh?"
The man nodded.
"You still angry about what I said in the blacksmith? About your fat ass?"
The crowd began to "ooh!"
"A little," Saker grimaced at his men.
Blade bit her lip. "You wanna finish this, once and for all?"
"First," he said, "I want to know why you are here."
Blade took a deep breath. "It was a favor to Sabine," she said.
"Sabine?" Saker couldn't believe what he was hearing. "The crazy old man that rules over those Dwellers?"
Blade nodded. "He wants you to leave the Dwellers alone."
"And if I refuse?" Saker asked. "What then?"
"Then your fate will be similar to your men's," Blade answered.
"You don't have the guts," Saker said.
"Saker," Blade raised her sword and smiled a sweetly horrific smile. "I'm Blade. Savvy?"
To the mercenaries' dismay, their leader surrendered. He agreed to leave the Dweller's alone, if Blade left the camp and didn't return.
"Fair enough," Blade smiled.
A.N.:"Couldn't we settle this over a pint?" is a quote from the movie Shrek.
"I'm Blade. Savvy?" is from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. I paraphrased to meet my specific needs, but you can find the original quote in that movie.