Xander was bored. He had been stuck in this shit hole for a week, and it would still be several days until his ride arrived. Playing guard out here in the middle of fuck all nowhere was below a cultivator of his talents. Still, he wasn’t stupid enough to say no to a Denger. When the scion of the house itself asks for a favor, the only smart answer is yes. At least it was good pay. Simply escort the cargo from A to B. Some woman from the seldom-seen subterranean races, a Voss.
Still, the bag full of coin waiting for him at the end did nothing to help with the boredom of the now. A part of him honestly wished something would happen, but he knew better. Almost no one knew of this place, let alone that would ever attack it. He had heard something about a scout smelling smoke on the wind earlier, which was odd, but who knows how far the wind could have carried it. It wasn’t like the Denger family was the only syndicate to use these smuggling routes. But any who did knew not to fuck with their operations.
Xander had only met Persephone, Matriarch of the Denger, family, once, and even years later, it still gave him chills. The family had hired him on as extra help for a raid on an independent drug ring cutting in on the family’s profits. He and the other hired help didn’t need to do shit. They watched in awe as Persephone single-handedly butchered every single soul. The thing was, there were more than hired goons. The operation was remote, so people lived there with their families. Persephone didn’t care. The carnage and cruelty on display still haunted him. Men or women, old or young, it didn’t matter. It was only then that he realized the real reason he was hired. To bear witness, to carry the warning on what happened to anyone who crossed the Dengers. A few decades later, her family was still firmly on top. Though rumor was she had begun to take a step back, slowly handing the reins to her sons. So she could enjoy her life as a grandmother of all things.
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An announcement over the speaking tube brought him back to the present. Something about a few drinks in the mess hall. Supposedly, some of the base commander’s secret stash. Not that Xander cared, the man had terrible taste in liquor, stuff was likely overpriced swill at best.
Still, the man he knew was a greedy little magpie. Letting his men have access to his reserve as a reward and while he was out of all things. Something didn’t sit right. It was likely nothing, but better to be safe than sorry. No sense risking a payday. Looking to the corner of his room, he eyed his partner and calling card, a true beast of a battle axe. It was his prized possession and had cost him all his savings, but it was worth it. Sadly, the narrow corridors of the base were too cramped for him to really cut loose, so he had to settle for a simple short sword he kept as a backup.
Taking a final sip of his drink, he got up and left, ready to see what, if anything, was going on. More than likely, the idiots simply forgot to report back after getting distracted by the booze. Still, his instincts told him something felt off, and as an Obsidian rank, he knew to trust them.
Turns out his instincts were right, as before his eyes was an escape in progress. More than that was the strangest-looking woman he had ever seen. Silver white hair, bright emerald eyes, and a creepy as the void looking claw dripping blood. Seeing the guards dead on the ground next to her, Xander knew his boredom had come to an end.
