Satrox held a short training session for Katrin (and himself, Colin guessed) while Lucy went to hire the mercenaries. He paired them up in Aunt Ivy's backyard as Aunt Ivy herself watched with folded arms.
"We don't have much time before Lucy gets back," he said, "And there's really not much you can learn before then, but you should at least get used to your weapons. First, get used to extending and retracting."
"What?" Katrin was confused already.
"Pull out your club and push it back in." Satrox said. "Practice taking it out and putting it back."
"Oh."
Satrox turned to Colin. "Sandy says you're okay with a staff, but I didn't really see you in action back there. Care to show me?"
Colin gulped. "I don't really have much choice, do I?"
"Just do it." Satrox growled.
Colin moved. In the time it took for his right leg to slide back, his staff was extended from a baton to a three-foot pole tilted downwards in both hands, the grip of each hand spread by his shoulder's width around the center.
"Very smooth." Satrox nodded. "Quite enough to get away with."
"What do you mean, 'get away with'?" Katrin asked.
"You're not really going to use that club." Satrox explained. "The Import Link only allows us limited functions with Adventura Rules on this Dreamworld. You're mainly going to be giving your Comrades commands, same as always, and you're the only one of us who can use all your Comrades freely. The important thing for you is to be able to swagger and bluff your way about being a mercenary. All you need to do is look like you know how to use that club."
"It's not easy." Katrin said, tugging hard at the black baton's top knob, extending several inches at a time in jerks. "This thing's too tight!"
"Try mine." Colin invited. "It extends by itself."
He showed her how to twist it and…
"Ah!" Katrin beamed. "Now this is so much easier!"
"Sandy said it was a good choice for a beginner." Colin remembered.
Satrox mused. "Hey, Colin, can you try that club?"
"Well…" Colin scratched his head as he took up Katrin's club. "I guess. What do I do with it?"
He looked at the soft leather handle around the black metal of the club, already extended into narrower and narrower segments up to two feet. The top ended in a flat button of a knob used to pull the club out to its full length. Colin pushed it back cautiously until it was a seven inch baton again.
"Practice pulling it out smoothly." Satrox invited. "From your belt."
"From my belt…" Colin stuck it in, then fingered it. "Pull it out…?"
He moved. {What the…?!}
In the time it took for his right leg to step back, with his left hand gripping the knob, his right hand pulled back on the club's handle until it extended fully, so that it was held in both hands, one at either end of the club, the right hand gripping, the left hand loosened to a supporting position.
{This feels… familiar…}
"That looks exactly like what you did with the staff." Satrox mused. "Not very creative, but it's quite effective. Good enough to get by, for sure."
"I can't seem to get the timing…" Katrin said, struggling to do what Colin did.
"In your case, maybe you should just hold it to your side and then twist it to start the auto-lengthening sequence." Satrox suggested.
"Like… ow!" Katrin gasped, as the backward extension of the staff grazed her ribs.
Satrox sighed. "Slow down! Do it carefully!"
It took her a few minutes to get used to it, and then Satrox pit her against Colin. "Just defend yourself, Colin."
Colin gulped. Katrin looked somewhat irritated and was holding the staff as far back as she could, for maximum reach. She swung it hard at his side.
He blocked easily. Satrox called out, "Kat, hold it near the middle, and get closer. You're swinging too slowly!"
Katrin growled, moving closer, holding the staff dead center with both hands, whirling it and clipping herself on the side of the head. "OW!"
Satrox groaned.
"Switch back!" Katrin called to Colin. "Give me my club!"
"Kat…" Satrox shook his head, but Colin tossed it to her anyway. Katrin tossed him the staff.
This time, she extended her club the way he had earlier, holding the knob with one hand and pulling back the handle with the other. "There! That's better."
"Can you try hitting him without hitting yourself?" Satrox asked, looking worn out.
Katrin growled and whacked at Colin as if she were using a fly-swatter. Colin deflected it at an off-angle, blocked the next swat, and the one after that, then simply stepped aside to avoid the fourth.
"How do you do that?" Katrin protested.
"Keep going. You'll get used to it." Satrox paced. "Where is Lucy?"
"It's only been a few minutes, Troxy." Aunt Ivy laughed."Why don't you leave Katrin with me a while and bring Colin around town? Test out your disguises with people you've met before."
"Archie should still be running the Comrade Home." Satrox thought about it. "And Tam's still at the J-Knight Branch Office. Getting past Archie without being recognized would be good. Getting past Tam would be a miracle."
"Don't push it." Ivy warned. "You're good, Satrox, but your friend there seems new to this."
Colin felt slightly disappointed. Playing mercenary in front of Tam without being recognized sounded like fun. He wondered about it as they left Aunt Ivy's place, passing by a pair of tall mercenaries and a hooded boy with a blue bunny.
Satrox was watching those three with a frown as they turned around the corner. "Ivy's getting popular. It's a wonder she managed to get this many disguises for us."
"Is she a J-Knight?" Colin asked.
"Nope." Satrox said, as they headed for the main roads.
Colin was a bit nervous when they arrived at the Lamico Town Comrade Home. Archie met them at the door.
"Mercenaries?" He frowned at Sonia and Foxie. "From the Crescent Continent?"
"Have you anything worth our while?" Satrox drawled in a low voice that didn't sound like him at all.
Archie looked over the 'Sonic Wolves' and barked a laugh. "Probably not. You're free to look around, but most of my high level Tames have been cleaned out recently."
He left them to it, and Satrox gave Colin a wink. Aloud, in that low drawl, he said "Let's go check it out."
Archie wasn't kidding. The Lamico Town Comrade Home had far less Tames available than it had before, and those that remained were mainly cubs.
"Thanks a lot, pops." Satrox drawled sarcastically as they left the Home.
Colin poked him outside. "Wasn't that a bit rude?"
"We're supposed to be mercenaries." Satrox answered, sounding like himself again. "It helps to sound like one."
"It doesn't mean we have to be rude…" Colin protested.
Satrox grinned. "Spoken like a Prayerman. That costume fits you already."
Colin shook his head and almost walked into a four-foot tall War Bunny. He and the bunny stared at each other. The bunny sniffed at his hat. He stared at the blades in its paws.
"Watch it!" a familiar voice shouted with glee. "You almost became sliced cabbage!"
{Jonah…?!} Colin barely managed to keep from saying the name out loud.
It was them… definitely them.
Jonah was sitting on top of his big black spider, looking larger and nastier than ever. Alicia's zebra-striped wildcat was nowhere to be seen, but she was followed around by a Raven as large as herself. Larry was sitting on a pony-sized rabbit, staring at Colin. His eyes widened.
{Cripes… did he recognize me?!}
"Fetter! Get back!" Larry called.
The War Bunny, in full armor and armed with blade-claws, turned and sniffed at Larry.
"Get away from the Prayerman!" Larry said.
Colin almost sighed with relief.
"That's no Prayerman!" Alicia barked a laugh. "That's a mercenary trying to be all holy…"
Colin growled in spite of himself.
"Ooh! He's going to say something mean!" Alicia squealed. "Like how big and tough he is! Watch out, everyone! The Prayerman's about to preach!"
Larry shifted uncomfortably. "What if he really is…"
"He's not!" Jonah snorted. "See that patch over his badge? See that guy with him? They're mercenaries! Isn't that right, Prayerman?"
Colin tightened his grip on his staff.
Satrox stepped forward with a warning hand on Colin's. He addressed Jonah, "Are you looking to hire?"
Jonah snorted. "And here I thought Prayermen always did most of the talking. No, mercenary, we're here for the Tournaments. You and your lot can go play war by yourselves."
"Bye, Prayerman!" Alicia laughed as they departed, the War Bunny going with them.
Colin and Satrox exchanged glances.
"Tournaments?" Colin almost laughed. "I'd like to see them get beaten at those."
"I wouldn't be too sure, Colin." Satrox said. "They seem to have come prepared."
"What do you mean? They're all at least Purple by now, I'm sure." Colin said.
"Maybe they were." Satrox frowned. "But their badges looked Green to me."
{Green…?!} Colin stared. {They've given up Comrades to lower their ranking… goodness, they might actually win.}
Satrox, meanwhile, was eyeing him. "You seem to recognize them."
"I should." Colin growled. "They've been teasing me for years. We're only friends because our fathers said we should be, but they…"
"For years…?" Satrox burst out laughing.
Colin blinked. "What's so funny?"
"Colin," Satrox clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You should be proud."
"What? Why?" Colin was still blur.
"You just fooled your old friends into thinking you were a mercenary." Satrox said, grinning broadly.
Colin gaped, realizing that Satrox was right.
"And even {they} didn't recognize you."
***
Katrin was practicing how to mix feints and strikes in attack combos on a straw dummy when Satrox and Colin returned.
"Lucy still isn't back?" Satrox asked Aunt Ivy.
"No." she replied. "I have to admit, I'm getting worried."
"Maybe we should go look for her." Katrin said, putting down her club for a while.
"I'll go look." Satrox offered. "You and Colin can stay here and practice a bit more."
"No need." Aunt Ivy said suddenly. She pointed. "Lucy's back."
"Lucy! How's the arrangement for the mercenaries?" Satrox greeted her.
"Hmm? Oh. Sorry, I haven't done that yet. We're meeting Ginny and Tony at the airport ruins in an hour." Lucy said.
Colin frowned. Lucy seemed… distracted.
"Are you all right?" Katrin asked, worriedly.
"I'm… fine. How are you?" Lucy asked.
Katrin's eyes widened. "Oh no."
"I'm fine." Lucy said again, more firmly. "We'll meet them in an hour, and then I'll sign us up as mercenaries… after we form a proper group."
"If you say so." Satrox said smoothly, prodding Katrin. "That gives us more time to practice, doesn't it?"
"But…" Katrin protested.
"Leave it." Satrox whispered. "Just… leave it."
Katrin looked worried, but she nodded mutely.
"Let's get back to what you were practicing, shall we?" Satrox said aloud. "What was that?"
"An attack combo." Katrin said, blinking.
"You call that an attack combo?" Satrox snorted.
That began a furious series of discussions and demonstrations, followed by more practice on the poor straw dummy. Through all that time, Lucy said nothing.
She just stood there and stared off into the distance.