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[20 Dec 2017|08:48pm] |
Kalik didn't like this one bit. He'd left his werak because escorting meat-headed hunters was a less valuable pastime than pouring over ancient texts. Still, what choice did he have? Times were tight and their coffers verged on empty. A man must sometimes dig in with both hands to ensure his continued survival, no matter how dirty the job.
Ahead of him marched Dren, Saphaea, and the new girl. He wouldn't bother learning her name until she proved herself in battle. Working for him came with a muttered disclaimer that neither Kalik nor Dren were responsible for death, dismemberment, or the distribution of remains in the event of a tragedy. In fact, he rather preferred employing those without too many attachments. Kalik wasn't above leaving bits and pieces to feed the carrion birds. At least some good would come from an untimely passing!
She claimed not to have any friends or family, and that made her a perfect new recruit. Now if only he could find half a dozen more like her so that he wasn't reduced to fieldwork.
"I can't say I've ever been this far outside the city before," admitted the newcomer. Silence weighed them alongside a week's worth of supplies, and she sought to break it. "This is exciting!"
"You won't think so by the time we reach the Cut-Cliffs." Kalik's grumbling ended on a pointed stare at Dren. Ignoring the presence of the women entirely, he proceeded to launch a tirade. "I still contend that we should have stuck with collecting Longleg lenses! Scrapper hearts are more valuable, yes, but we'll be traveling through a bottleneck to reach them. The lake will further impede our ability to escape should things go wrong as they are wont to do!"
Aliyanei felt her eyebrows spike into her hairline. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Waiting for a solid beat to reply, Kalik shook his head. It was her own fault if she was thick enough to believe she and Saphaea were the first machine hunters on their payroll. There were many names before them, each one crossed out. "Nothing. The heat gets to me, is all. I hail from much colder climes." |
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