She studied the frail parchment at her fingertips intently at the cracked window, using the diminishing sunset light to ensure that every detail was taken note of. The instructions were concise, revealing only the basis of what she needed to know for her mission. It seemed simple enough- a get in and get out type of job. To erase the evidence of her hire, she crumpled up the note and stuffed it in her mouth, swallowing hard. She gathered her blades by the dying light, running a finger up the blunt face to ensure each shade rune remained intact and then eyeing up the sharp edge (which she did not dare to touch) to check for notches or signs of wear of which there were none. She pulled her wispy black hair up into a short ponytail and flicked up her haggard dark hood to overshadow her scar-laced face. She finished by equipping herself with the blades- slipping one into each of her leather arm braces, a couple through her belt, and a larger one the length of her forearm through a holster at her hip. Now, clad in her usual dark attire, she stuffed her small sack of belongings (predominantly clothes and currency) into a gap in the framework of the run-down warehouse and proceeded to display her agility by diving through a broken window pane and hitting the ground with a soft thud- narrowly missing an array of smashed glass and vomit. Swiftly, she brought herself upright to exit the fetid miasma in the dusty alleyway, treading carefully on her bare, grimy feet.
It was an hours walk on the broad streets of Mena from her stakeout to her target location across the city yet significantly longer via her chosen route through side streets and slips so she moved with haste and hurry. This way the chance of unfriendly encounters was lower and she was also less likely to face harassment from curious drunks or traffickers. At this hour the less legislated parts of town were prone to be hazardous zones where dangerous folk were as common as traders in a market. In fact this area had a market of its own, rife with illegal ingredients and beings and unmissable deals. Although she was soon free of those dangers as she made her way into a residential area boasting grand archways, porches and balconies carved from quality woods, she faced a new threat in the form of patrolling guards that were around to protect civilians of higher elevation from robbery and assassination. I suppose I qualify as the latter. Therefore it was of the utmost importance she remained undetected. Eventually, after a handful of withheld breathes and close-calls, she had the compound in sight. As she took a break from her constant vigilance, she surveyed the property. It was slightly bigger than the homes in the rest of the neighbourhood, with three floors and a decorative garden featuring a koi pond. It is also distinctly beautiful. She admired the slate roof tiles and slight tiering effect of the three levels as well as the light pine hazel walls. It seems to mimic the design of a country house. Suddenly footsteps snapped her out of her enthrallment. Immediately she shrank into the wall behind her, grateful for the cover provided by the large hedge which stuck out just in front her, shielding her from the view of the path surrounding the house. Heavy leather swung past, leaving the smell of secreted sweat in its wake. She stifled a cough and remained perfectly still until the burly guard had lumbered past. It wasn't as if she was scared to take him in a fight, simply that this was a mission of stealth and not strength. For a slightly fancy townhouse there seemed to be decent security, although not the kind that could hinder her. Confrontation averted, she hopped up and darted over a second hedge effortlessly, casting wary glances about her while she scrambled forwards with a crouched posture. She jumped again, grabbing roof tiles above and pulling herself up over the edge with ease. Now she was exposed she drew a shade blade, clasping its cold complexion in both hands and shutting her eyes. At once, strings of shadow wound themselves around her like a chrysalis, rendering her practically invisible, a dark patch against the cloudy sky. With the reassuring darkness shrouding her movements, she continued up the roof, quickly arriving at a window on the third floor.
Carefully, she jammed a knife in the crack between the two shutters and pried them open to reveal an unlit room. A familiar yet unpleasant smell of exertion greeting her nostrils. Shy moonlight peeked through the window and onto the floorboards. Oh. Immediately she dropped off the windowsill and onto the floor, her bare feet providing a soft landing. Sheets rustled. She waited, hoping the light from the window hadn't fully roused her sleeping prey. As the room settled she could hear slumbering breaths- too many to be those of one person. She scuttled to the bedside and stood, looming over not one but two bodies. One was a middle aged man and the other a young woman. Her eyes narrowed in disgust. Nonetheless her opinion was irrelevant. Consider this two for the price of one, She thought to herself before drawing her smallest blade and slitting the couple's throats. Although she was not obliged to kill the woman she found herself doing so, perhaps to put her out of the misery that was her lifestyle. The bruises and red marks at her neck told her all she needed to know. She watched in grim satisfaction as the dying gasped frantically for air. She made eye contact with the woman. Suddenly, before she could react, the woman flailed an arm at a small table near the bed, grabbing a bell and beginning to shake it. Three clangs resounded through the empty night before she could disarm her victim. Panicking, she made for the window. Then, she became acutely aware of a presence behind her. She whipped around, brandishing her mightiest weapon, the shade dagger.
"I come in peace," At surface level the voice sounded cool but she detected a rushed undertone.
"Stay back, I don't have time for idle chatter," she warned.
"That's, uh, fine we can take this elsewhere," the voice continued, now attached to an owner who stepped through a sliding door to the left of the bed. He looked around with mild confusion, clearly unable to make out her shroud of shadow.
It was a boy maybe of a similar age to her with obnoxiously bright orange hair and eyes to match. He had an innocent face, cushioned by rotund cheeks and adorned with long eyelashes. As much as she was curious to the motive behind his unanticipated arrival, the bell had most likely caused a stir amongst the guards- they'd probably come check on the house master. Therefore, she began to carefully push open the shutters through which she'd came mere minutes earlier.
"Stop!" the perpetrator hissed, stepping forward with wide eyes.
She removed her encompassing shadow to fix him with a cold glare, only her blood red eyes casting a menacing glow from the gloom of her hood. He looked positively taken aback before steeling himself and delivering words with annoying accuracy,
"Please don't go that way, some of the guards have crossbows and they're now on high alert."
"I don't have any other choice," she replied, growing increasingly impatient.
"Well, if you just agree to having a small chat with us about our offer, I can get both of us out of here in a matter of seconds," the boy outstretched a hand to which she looked at sceptically, "No doubt you're curious?" he probed.
Admittedly she was. Living as an assassin she typically slept during the day then completed jobs during the night which she received orders for in the form of letters sent by Canem. In short, she lacked in human interaction.
"Okay then," she conceded.
Relief seemed to wash over the boy's tense features and he approached her quickly, offering her his arm. Before she took it awkwardly, she hazarded a question,
"Your name?"
"Mango," he answered, "and you?"
"Cherry."
She took his arm, not possibly expecting what happened next.
Cherry blinked rapidly, quickly regaining her composure as she looked at her new surroundings. She was in an area of the city she had not previously visited. It was clearly a shopping district as her and Mango stood on a wide set of cobbles lined by storefronts displaying clothing and meats and other produce. No other people were in sight.
"How?" Cherry turned to Mango.
"Haha, I've never had someone so calm after their first teleportation," he remarked, rolling up a sleeve of his blue gi.
She leaned over to inspect the underside of his arm. Beneath the skin were three softly glowing lumps. She looked at him in confusion.
"What are they?"
"You don't know?" he sounded incredulous, "Potentia stones?"
Cherry looked blankly at him.
"But you have powers, I saw."
"Yeah I'm half demon, comes with the territory- heightened senses and speed," she explained, "You were clearly sent after me I'm surprised you're so clueless."
Mango rolled his eyes, "I meant the shadow thing."
Oh that's embarrassing, she'd clearly misunderstood him. Perhaps he knew more about her than she'd initially assumed. She drew a shade blade and proceeded to give the basics,
"These were left for me by my demon mother, they provide cover when necessary. They also recall to me if needed."
"That's cool!" Mango seemed enthused.
It came as a surprise that he seemed undeterred by her mention of her lineage. Commonly the rare offspring of demons and humans were regarded with disgust as a result of their negative connotations- many had a habit of wreaking havoc. It was inherent due to demons being the embodiment of evil. Luckily, their passage from Infraterra to Mediterra was near untraversable so they were few in number in this realm. The opposite went for deities- the embodiment of light who mostly inhabited Summusterra. However they too rarely crossed from their realm to ours. Cherry was yet to meet a mix of either being with human besides herself. Why would demons or deities wish to mate with humans when they knew they were a superior species?
Anyway, she had never heard of the potentia stones but she had heard the tales of people acquiring powers. Power as a concept was something she was familiar with, the world she lived in was full of it.
"Now that's out the way let's get to business," Mango seemed rather relaxed now he was presumably on his own turf.
"Enlighten me to the details of your 'offer'," Cherry suggested.
"Yes, you have been invited to become a member of the Mena Mercenaries, we are a group of highly skilled combatants, available to hire for a vast variety of jobs and tasks internationally," he began informatively, "We currently stand at eighty-six active members, you'd be our eighty-seventh. The pay is good and we provide accommodation as well as providing for the majority of your needs. The organisation is spread across multiple locations in multiple nations to maximise our influence but you would begin stationed at our base of operations here in Mena shopping district."
"I-," Cherry began before she stopped to consider.
It seemed like a solid offer. She would be sheltered and presumably protected. Just the accommodation was enticing in comparison to her windswept warehouse. Truthfully, she desired company, and what better place to find it than an organisation of people from the same dark profession as her. Only one obstacle made her hesitate- her contract. She was unsure how Canem would take to her pledging allegiance to a business. Maybe it was time she asserted some control over her own life.
"I would gladly accept," Cherry confirmed.
A broad grin stretched its way across the recruiter's sweet face. Cherry had to stifle her own smile as she felt herself slipping from Canem's clutches ever so slightly.
"In that case let me teleport you to your new home!" Mango exclaimed.
"Wait, one more thing."
"Come on you did this last time…"
"Does this matter?"
Cherry pulled down her hood awkwardly. She felt Mango's curious eyes tracing the healed gashes across her eye, cheek and nose as well as the smaller lacerations scattered across the rest of her face and neck. If she'd worn less he'd see their continuation down the rest of her body. She studied his expression with dismay. Fleeting pity crossed his features before he pasted a smile and reassured her,
"I don't see any problems!"
She supposed she couldn't escape the demeaning pity. Nonetheless she was relieved at his acceptance. With a breath she took his hand and they teleported to the mercenary headquarters.