Blackmailer

Clutching her basket of cleaning supplies tightly Jane quickly slid the master key into the room's lock before bursting in. As planned the boy turned to look at her while she feigned fearful surprise, Jane wore the same outfit as all the other housekeeping staff at the academy even though they'd offered to let her wear something else. The normal outfit was a plain brown dress square cut at the neck showing no cleavage, not that the eleven-year-old girl had any to worry about flashing, but did show off the neck and collar bone. It was designed to be bland, modest, and ignorable as a good cleaning staff should be. The reason they'd opted to let her specifically wear something else was because of her scars. A knotted web of burn scars covered all the visible flesh coming out of the left side of her dress. Below the short sleeve, her arm was covered in them down to the tips of her fingers which luckily other than being stiff worked fine. From the neckline of her dress, it came up to cover her left collar bone before rising up her neck and spreading across her cheek. A few stray tendrils covered her nose and one stopped right next to her left eye while her hair was grown long and combed over the left side of her skull where the scars prevented it from growing.

Instantly the rail-thin girl began bobbing in a bow and gave her best practiced stuttered apology while trying to keep her frown off her face. "I'm so sorry I didn't know you were in the room. Please forgive me for making you see me." Jane glanced through her dangling hair knowing when she bowed it exposed the scarred side of her head even more to gauge his response.

'What is wrong with him? His face is as blank as stone. Where is the disgust or pity or anything?' Jane needed to know his reaction to know how to proceed. She'd developed plenty of strategies in the two years she'd been working here. This room had been her gold mine. Every occupant eventually used the outside door to do something wrong, normally sneaking girls in. Since they always put rich commoners in here they'd become her favorite target. Nobles were much too hard to blackmail and even if she tried they could make an orphan like her disappear easy enough. But the commoners rich enough to come to the school were her best targets. They had cause to fear being exposed and money enough to pay something to hide it. She'd been shocked to see a noble girl already leaving the room in disarray so soon. She was even more excited when that same girl stayed behind with this boy. Now she knew which of the two roommates to blackmail.

"Who are you?" her thoughts were interrupted by a raspy voice. Now it was her turn to try and keep her mask in place. It reminded her of how her voice had been after the fire but he didn't look scarred. She couldn't help but look him over and wonder if his uniform hid scars like her own.

"I am just one of the cleaning staff come to clean your room. I didn't mean to disturb. Please I will go." Unable to read his response she tried a default one making sure to sound properly submissive and scared, hoping to invoke pity to get the expected invite in to clean.

"Ok" the boy just rasped before turning back to his desk.

'What the hell? A scared little girl covered in horrible scars is acting all meek while just trying to do her job and you just ignore her? This is worse than the idiots who want to make fun of me. Now what do I do?' she cursed and raged in her head while keeping her composure.

"Um, great lord when should I come to clean? I would prefer not to make one so handsome as you look upon one as ugly as me." Switching her approach she tried again. 'Alright flatter him up a bit, I may be a scarred-up washboard but boys his age are just as easy to manipulate. Damn this will be so much easier when they grow.'

D let out an exasperated sigh and pushed his chair back before approaching the girl. Seeing his annoyed face she braced herself expecting him to hit her while hiding her excitement. 'Yes! If I can get a bruise or a split lip I can blackmail him for even more!'

Instead, the boy just stopped in front of her and she realized how short he was barely any taller than herself. "Just do it now. But don't step here, here, here, here, over there, there, there, there, or there. And don't touch that, that, that, that, that, or those." He pointed out a number of spots in the room to the confused girl before going back to sit at his desk.

Looking around confused as nothing was going the way she wanted she sat down her basket before getting out a small dustpan and hand broom to start. 'What is up with this boy? I can't get a read on him. How am I supposed to know how to approach him for the blackmail. Damn, It had been going so well the last boy in here was a bumbling idiot. Just one mention of the nobles finding out he'd sullied one of their daughters and he was handing over everything he had. Ugh, I guess I have no choice. I'll just throw it out there and see what happens.'

She was about to mention seeing the noble girl leaving his room the night before when the raspy voice spoke up. "Don't step there or you will regret it." The boy wasn't even looking at her and she realized she was about to sweep a spot he'd told her not to go.

"What happens if I do?" She forgot to butter him up, actually curious about why the boy didn't want her to step in places.

"You'd trigger the ward there. It won't hurt you but you will be pinned upside down to a wall. Since you are wearing a dress I don't feel like being flashed again." Still scratching away on his parchment D responded.

"Oh of course lord. You wouldn't want to see how much more the scars cover right?" She feigned a sob.

D stopped scribbling and turned to look at the girl "Oh you do have scars." That was all he said.

'What the hell he just now noticed? Curse this fool I'm just going to throw it out.' She dropped her act and stood with her fists on her hips. "Oh is that what you did to the noble girl that was here last night? Pinned her to a wall and had your way with her?"

"Yes and no. She pinned herself but I didn't do anything to her." He didn't even stop his scribbling.

"Well, I wonder if her family will believe that when I tell them? That is unless you have something to offer instead." Her foot tapped with annoyance.

"Tell them if you want. I don't care, she might eat you though."

'What is wrong with this boy? Nothing seems to faze him. Ugh, I am not going hungry this year because this idiot doesn't know anything. Fucking orphanage taking all my wages is bull shit.' Her little foot stomped several times in frustration before she calmed down, the boy never even glanced her way.

"Well, they might kick you out. Having a girl in your room is against the rules."

"You're in here and Rachel comes in. Their rules don't seem that important to them." D stated with a shrug.

Jane looked around the room suddenly feeling defeated. There weren't likely any others to blackmail. She'd seen the other roommate. He was a bumbling fool which was great but he didn't seem like the type that would get a girl any time soon. Just the thought of not having anyone to blackmail made her stomach grumble.

"I'll say you and the dorm mother are in a relationship!"

D paused before stating. "Well, we are." Then shrugging, after all she was his tutor.

"I'll say you attacked me! Did horrible things!" her voice was getting desperate.

"No one cares about orphans." His raspy response was a blow that held the weight of truth.

'How did he know? Did he look into me first?' As she exhausted all other options she swallowed her pride she played her last ploy. She moved forward to grovel on the floor next to him. "You are right oh great lord. I am just a poor ugly orphan with no hopes. Please let me be your personal servant! I'm tired of being cold and hungry. I'll make sure your room is cleaned perfectly and any other… needs you might have taken care of." She felt disgusted but figured she could play off a commoner's desire to feel like a noble with a personal servant and worse case he did something more she could then blackmail him properly.

The boy pushed back his chair and stood up. "Ok, stay here." Then left out the exterior door.

Jane wasn't sure what he was up to. She fidgeted as the minutes passed making her curiosity turn to worry. 'Shit what if the brat turns me into the academy? I can't lose this job. Damn it Damn it nothing is going right. When he gets back I'll grovel and beg. I'll even lick his boots if I have to. This is what I get for being so greedy.' Her worry and thoughts were interrupted as the door opened.

D dropped a bag in her lap before sitting down at his desk. Jane looked up at him then down to the bag confused. After a moment she opened the bag and was assailed by the smells of food making her stomach grumble. Still not sure what was going on she started to ask but was interrupted by the boy. "Eat."

D realized the girl was trying to blackmail him but didn't care. It had only taken one good look to recognize another orphan. She was skin and bones just as he'd been most of his life. He knew hunger even before his most recent changes. He also recognized one stuck in a shitty situation. He figured her working here was similar to him being sold as an apprentice hunter. He had no use for a servant and no interest in her body but he felt a comradery with another who understood hunger.

Without hesitation, Jane dug in realizing this wasn't the scraps she normally got but actual food for the students. She ate still warm and juicy chicken, sweet buttery rolls, some sort of steamed root soaked in butter. At that moment she didn't care what he did later she was in heaven. When she'd eaten everything leaving her stomach painfully full she stayed sitting there waiting, expecting him to demand something.

"Um…" Tired of waiting she tried to get his attention.

Glancing back down at the girl D rasped out "You're still here? I don't have any more now, I'll bring more tomorrow."

As he went back to scribbling she frowned in confusion. "Aren't you going to demand something? What do you want from me?"

Growling at being interrupted he said. "Peace and Quiet." before pointing at the door.

Unsure what was going on she gathered up her basket before leaving. Thinking over how badly it all went she thought things could have been worse. Sure she hadn't managed to blackmail the boy but she'd gotten the best meal of her life and he hadn't turned her in. She still suspected he would demand something from her and probably just needed time to figure out what he wanted. After all, everyone was out for themselves in this world. That was the one truth she knew.

**********

Slowly things moved into a stable routine for D. The little orphan girl came to clean, she quickly became the only staff that would after too many of the other cleaning staff were found pinned to a wall. D continued to bring her food and she continued to be baffled by him, her curiosity bordering on obsession. He was an enigma to her not only his personality but he was able to do magic and was the apprentice of a mage yet she was certain he was just like her.

Pena and Larian had become allies of mischief as far as D was concerned. Larian helped Pena feed to keep up the excuse for their stay and in return, the monster girl helped him research her ability to go invisible. She also assisted him in his plots involving D. During the last month they'd been "dating" although D didn't really participate unless Larian forced him to. It was just one of Larian's ploys. Supposedly being in a relationship would make D more attractive to other girls or some nonsense.

His roommate Dean spent most of his time out of the room terrified of triggering magical traps and his roommate in general. He didn't remember anything of the night when Pena attacked him but he was now oddly nervous around girls making him even more awkward.

Rachel was helping him with his studies and D was finally starting to make progress. Mostly because she'd offered to pay him for good grades. She hadn't thought offering a few small coins would get any results but she was willing to try anything. When he instantly doubled his effort and started making progress she could only shake her head at how a child could be so money-focused.

And so the first month passed with no major incidents and D felt like life was good. As he was making some progress with his modified wards. If he had only known what was coming.

**********

Dean the Royal Ranger walked around the tree before heading to the charred ground again. He ran his fingers through the soot and ash before sniffing it carefully. He'd been looking for leds ever since the events in Pentok but had found nothing. No strange partially eaten corpses, no missing people that didn't turn out to be just normal murders or kidnappings. Nothing. It had infuriated him until he noticed a report about a merchant leaving the same region as Pentok telling the tale of how a mage and his apprentice had slaughtered a pack of monsters. Dean's sixth sense at reading the report told him there was a connection even if he didn't know what it was. So, that was what brought him to this spot. Whatever had charred this earth was so intense that even now weeks later the ground hadn't recovered.

"Where did the report say the merchant went?" He stood up dusting off his hand asking his second.

"The capital sir."

Dean turned in that direction with a hungry grin. "Seems it's time to head home."

**********

"Today we start up your practical combat training." Larian smiled at the class of older students and his apprentice. "Now don't worry I'll be here to keep you all safe. Oh yes, this is my apprentice D. He is a first-year but is a licensed Monster Hunter! So, he has special permission to attend the class. Now don't you mind him, he may look small but he is quite skilled. Plus for you ladies, I believe he is into older girls!" Most of the class looked at D with mixtures of curiosity and mirth as they thought the boy was using his master to try and find him a girl. D ignored the giggles, laughs, and even a few small waves with the same stone-faced expression as always while focusing on controlling his hunger pangs.

"To start out we will have you all deal with a lesser monster the Grean." He motioned back to the row of small cages. "They are a monstrous form of gophers. They aren't much of a threat to normal people but they can be quite tricky. After all, they are fast and have the ability to move through the earth like a fish through water. This test will let me see what you are capable of. You need to either capture or kill a single Grean before class ends." Most of the class sobered up, though the monster was more a pest than a threat it was still a monster. Never before had students been tasked with dealing with live monsters. It was new and exciting.

"Very good. Now D would you place a ward to keep our test subjects from escaping?" D just waved his hand causing the huge wall of text from his prepared ward to appear in front of him. Larian watched and enjoyed the sudden looks of shock and envy on the students' faces even if D didn't notice them. 'Now how best to use this. I don't want hanger ons or gold diggers. Still, I'm sure we can use this for some juicy events.'

The wall of glowing text sank down to the ground spreading out to become a huge circle with a diameter of several hundred feet before disappearing. "Done." D rasped out his response.

Larian clapped his hands in rapid applause which was joined by a number of the older students. "Perfectly done as always. Now everyone get to work. Time's wasting!" With a snap of his fingers, all the cages opened.

As the students scrambled he kept an eye on D. They'd already started testing his control of the hunger, after all, if he changed every time he was near a monster things could get messy.

So far Larian had deduced the strength of the hunger pains were tied to how powerful the creature was or how powerful the ability D would gain from it was. He wasn't sure but was certain it was one of those. Also, since he'd always changed when he was asleep other than the time he attacked Pena they were pretty sure he could resist it. So far he'd managed to resist the urges while around the Greans during their previous tests. But that had been in a controlled environment without any distractions. Now Larian was sure they could up the test's difficulty by making D resist the urge while doing something he hated. Being the center of attention of a group.

Larian hoped D could control it, he thought it would be a shame to have to kill so many students to keep their secret. D was gritting his teeth that were already starting to grow wider and sharper as the monsters dived out of their cages to swim through the earth around them.