Early Retirement

56.

Clarissa could not tell if she was hunting her prey or it was hunting her. She had awoken in a jungle with a note telling her to aim for the head and water. To say she was angry as Ms Parker was an understatement. The jungle was hot, she'd had to ditch her work jump suit and was contemplating taking her pants off. She hadn't run across any animals or even insects, but she could feel the eyes of whatever she was intended on killing upon her. It was how trees and plants would be moving before she got there. Every clump of trees felt like an ambush, she wished Gilbert was there, she figured he had experience killing whatever Ms Parker had intended on her to kill. Clarissa heard a branch snap behind her and turned with her bow and arrow drawn, she felt the blade press against her neck but the strike didn't come.

"So my retirement has finally come." The creature appeared female based on hair and chest, but she wore clothes made of several types of creatures it was hard to distinguish features. The blade she had at Clarissa's neck also looked to have been made from a creature.

"I'm surprised you speak." Clarissa didn't know if she should fire, her instincts told her not to.

"It's been a while, but I remember words, that's a nice bow, shame your shot is off." Clarissa went to look at her bow and quickly found herself on the ground with the sword pressed against her throat.

"I guess you're going to kill me now." There was a moment, and then the creature sheathed her blade and held her hand out.

"No, I hunt monsters, but you are not one, though I suspect one sent you here." Clarissa accepted the hand and got to her feet.

"Where is here anyway?"

"I was hoping you'd know." The creature laughed, which prompted Clarissa to laugh.

****

"So Ms Parker sent you here to?" Izu, the creature who was like some kind of lizard person with her armor off gave Clarissa a side ways glance.

"Parker? No don't know a Parker, I know a big red dragon I was after who opened a portal and chucked my ass inside, that I do know."

"I'm just surprised you speak English."

"I'm from Michigan if you can believe it, now admittedly I'm not human like you are, but not all things inhuman are horrible killers." Izu had taken Clarissa to her camp, a small space carved in the jungle with a fire and some basic food, Clarissa turned down the food it looked not appetizing.

"You're wearing the skins of several creatures, some I recognize some I've never seen." Izu chuckled.

"I guess you're correct, though seeing as you came here with an elven bow that smells of death well I guess we're both a like in that regard, well except I've got experience, you, you were easily fooled by me telling you you're aim was off."

"I'm just an assistant."

"Where's you're boss? Lining up a shot on me?"

"No, he's back in Ellensburgh." Izu looked up for a moment as if trying to remember something.

"Dunkley, he was out of that town, I remember, ran into him in Ohio once, tried to kill me too, GD Exterminators, I guess I should be flattered."

"So are you one of us or something?"

"Somewhat, I was an artist once, painted things, lived in tunnels, its where Dunkley found me, there were bodies all over Ohio, some creature deep underground killing them, Dunkley like you didn't pull the trigger, too human looking I guess, helped him find the real creature deeper underground, helped him end it, got a taste at the time, felt I could do some good looking for things in the dark. My mistake of course was going after that damn dragon."

"Parker."

"Yeah you said that's her name, yeah it was like my second thing I was sent to do, little midget bastard turned me on to her, said she killed his whole family. I even had the jump on her if you can believe that, but she got me in her jaws and I thought I was done, and then I woke up here."

"Did you kill everything here or something?"

"Nothing is here normally, Parker I guess sends stuff to me, at first I figured it was to kill me, over the years I've come to think of it more as a clean up and amusement, but I guess I've out lived my usefulness, or you have."

"Probably a bit of both."

"Dragon's are probably assholes like that."

"Seems that way, so are you going to kill me?"

"Nah you wouldn't make a very good arm band, and I need a new one." Izu smiled, "Though I will do one thing for you, and that's teach you how to use a blade, I could have killed you a couple times and that's being generous, you need to be smarter if you're going to kill your dragon." Izu rummaged through her camp and pulled out another creature sword and handed it over to Clarissa.

"What do you want me to do first?" Izu took up her own blade and held it up to Clarissa.

"Well to start out, try and kill me, and we'll work our way from there."