Ever The Contrarian

CHAPTER NINE!! IM SO READY LOL I actually typed chapter nine and ten in one sitting, so I had to split the chapter in hlaf coz it was too long.

Mercury poured the bag of pig's blood all over Flourine, who was then drenched. They had gotten it from the local butcher, who had gladly accepted the coins. "You alright, fluorine? This must be unpleasant, Im sorry." Mercury checked, spilling a bit on herself as well. "No, im fine." Fluorine protested, and Merucry picked her up in her arms. They were standing outside the camp of the assassins, and they plan was going good. Their camp was just like how she had secretary imagined - deep in the wilderness, a large wooden and stone warehouse. One thing, though - it had the government seal in the front. It must have been abandoned and taken over by the assassins - Mercury figured. Iodine and Nox were hiding in the bushes nearby. Mercury could already feel their beady stares on the back of her neck. She let out a deep breath and put on a sobbing face. Drama mode, on. Not in a good way, though - she was a horrible actress.

"Help! help, my sister - she's been attacked by a wild boar! please, anyone! help meeeeeeee!" Mercury catawalled, her voice loud and cracking regularly. jerkily, she raised her leg while trying to keep fluorine in balance and kicked the door. Fluorine had closed her eyes and made her breath shallow and gasping - like she was dying. she was a much better actor than Merucury. a confused person in a black hood opened the door, and Mercury dramatically grabbed his feet. "Please, good, sir! save my sister!" she screamed, internally gagging at the dark black talons, which were really stinky. defiently the assassins. Merucry made sure to look around. Just like Iodine had proposized, there were only 15 humanoid things - not that many. She internally noted that they had masks and papers next to them - she wondered what they were for. "Please! ill do anything!" Mercury said, and the assassin helped her up. "We should take her to the boss." the assassin said, and mercury held onto fluorine tightly. she didnt want the child ot get hurt because of her. the assassins led her to a dark room, where mercury squinted. Boss? who was the boss? would he give them trouble? But, no. It was just some baling old dude with more hair on his beard than he did on his entire head. How strange it was that the leader of the assassins was human.

"Who are they?" baldy demanded, and Mercury almost burst out laughing. He looked like the human equivalent of a fried egg. he even had a yellow spot on the top of his head - like a yellow of an egg. For a moment, mercury wondered if a chicken would pop out if she cracked his skull open. biting the inside of her mout to keep from laughing, she squinted her eyes. The ain was excruciating, but she started crying from laughter. the assassins, of course, took it as the opposite. "Should we help her?" they asked, and the man shook his head. "Her child should have to fend for herself." Fluorine and Merucry both flinched at the same time. In what world, in what universe, in what multiverse was fluorine her daughter?

"Bald and blind. what a duo." she muttered under her breath, and Baldy turned to stare at her. "What was that?" he said, and Mercury stalled. "Uhm nothing! we'll take out leave, then!" she said, hurrying out the door. However, one of the assassins grabbed her by the back of the collar, yanking her backwards. "Hold on a minute." baldy translated, narrowing his eyes. Grabbign Flourine's shirt, he lifted it up slightly to revela her stomach. the blood had onyl stained her clothes, leaving her skin pearly and shining. No wound. She was completely fine. the assassin bared his teeth. "You traicked us."

"Get her!" Blady shouted, and mercury whipped out her sword. It expanded and reshaped to become the first thing that came to mind - a pogo stick. the hilt become her handle, and the blade branched out to become a foothold. "Yes!!! THIS IS WHY I GOT A SWORD! LETS GO!!!! THANK YOU, NOX!" Mercury said, grabbing the pogo stick with one had and Flourine with the other, and hopping away. The pogo stick was surprisingly fast, and she hopped out of the den like a bunny, with the assassins stumbling after her. Blady was chasing after them, waving a chubby fist. "Later, baldy!" Mercury cheered, hopping down the trail rapidly. She almost dropped Flourine, but it was alright. All well that ends well! WIthin a moment, she stopped and hopped in place. Nox and Iodine emerged out of the bushes, and Mercury grabbed the hilt of her sword, making it go instantly from a pogo stick to a light sword. "Lets go!" Mercury said, and Nox grinned. "I didnt know you liked pogo sticks."

"AYE! SHUT! UP! It was the first thing that came to mind!' Mercury said, poking him with the tip of her sword. Iodine hefted her bow, and mercury sudednly gave the sword to her. "Try using this as a arrow." she said, as the sword instantly became smaller and more compact - now no longer the size of a sword, but that of a large arrow. Iodine nodded, and stretched the sitngr on her bow, aiming the sword perfectly. "Lets go, sword!" mercury cheered. As Iodine let go, it zoomed out and split up into a million different sharp shards that rained down on the assassins - and then shapeshifted to go back into the sword, which ricketed off the floorboards and launched in the air, spinning. Mercury caught it, and grinned. "Nice, sword! lets see what else you've got!" she said, pushing Flourine behind her. "No! I want revenge too!" Fluorine pestered, and mercury glared at her. FLoruine flinched and shuffled behind her obediently. "I dont want you to get hrut because of us, Fluorine. You're not going anywhere." Mercury said, pointing her sword at the assassins. they hissed at her. as the lept, mercury turned around and rammed her sword backwards. It was good for her momentum, because she had enough energy in that one swing to swing her sword back around and above her head for another swing at the assassins. two down, about 3 more to go. She was going good. "You're next, baldy! She's not my kid!!" Mercury yelled, and Blady, who was cowering behind a few other assassins, flinched. Mercury dashed towards hi bdoyagurds. a sword nicked her neck, but she was relivitely safe because her own sword bent to shove it away before anything happened. In her hand, the sword was fluxuating like a piece of elastic - smaller, bigger, bending in every direction.

"BALDY!!!! YOU GOT A DEATH WISH!?" mercury roared, stabbing both of the assassins in the sotmach, They fell, and Baldy flinched. "You should always help people!" Mercury said, and baldy, to her surprise, started crying. the things he was mumbling were incomprehensiblle to her, but she was sure it was utter filth. what kind of heartless person sent away someone who was bleeding? a child, no less? (the fact that it had been a clever ploy to infiltrate the base was completely different.) "No, thanks. just die already, filth." Merucry said. she wasnt interested in any sob stories, not today. with a quick stab in the stoamhc, he also fell. "Good riddance, baldy! see you in hell!" mercury said, saluting him before turning around to see fluorine, with literal stars in her eyes. "That was so cool!" she squeaked, and Merucry pushed her head down with one bloodstained hand. "Killing people isn't fun. you better not learn from me, pipsqueak." Mercury said. Fluorine nodded. "good." mercury said, taking her hand off. Iodine and Nox walked up to them. They were all stained in blood, and they looked pretty terrifying, including Flourine, who had yet to wash off the original blood stains. "Before we find a river to wash off, we should probably see what their deal is. Their leader was a human, after all. something doesnt line up." Iodine said, pulling back one of the hoods to reveal a grotesque mask. "This is.... paper mache..." Iodine said, turning the body around to reveal a string. as she untied it, the mask fell back to revel some dude in his late thirties. "what?" iodine said, surprised, and mercury noticed a bump in the mask. It was flawless - except for that one bump - and looking at it was annoying her. "The mask has abumo, hold on." Mercury said, grabbing the ask and pushing at the bump with her fingers. Suddnely, a slip of paper burst out. it was an ID of the person they had just killed. "They're... this is a government offical." Mercury gasped, and suddenly a lightbulb seemed to go off in Nox's head, because he scrambled towards the other masks. "guys! grab all of these ID's! we might need them later!" nox said, his large fingers fumbling to untie a mask. Mercury helped out, and soon they had a grand stack of papers. "Oh. Is the government... hiring the assassins? to kill anyone who gets too powerful?' Merucry said slowly. It was clicking into place - how the assassins had been able to find her, how they had a government warehouse, and why no one knew anything about the assassins.

"I think so. They lied to us our whole lives...." nox said, and Iodine was just clutching her head, sitting down. "Iodine? are you feeling okay?" Mercury said slowly, reaching out her hand. It was angrily slapped away. "No! im not okay! my entire family works for the government! even though they weren't that nice to me, I still loved and trusted them! and now I find this-" she gestured to the stack of papers - "What is this?! My family cant be involved in this... I refuse ot belive..." Iodine said. Nox and Merucry were both silent. "Iodine. we cant say anything because we were never raised to be veru loyal to out country. But, if you want to talk, then you can definitely open up to us." Mercury said gently, tapping Nox's shoulder. "Yep, always. besides, theres no way you never suspected the government was hiding something. Its pretty obvious." Nox said, and Iodine buried her head in her hands. "Can you leave me be for today, please?" she asked, adn Merucry grinned. "Of course! have fun, Iodine!" she said, dragging Nox away by the wrist. "Oh! and!" Mercury said, turning around one last time.

"We'll always be here for you, Io. forever and ever."