>>5680391>Art: Sintija https://www.deviantart.com/sintija. Kelen Language and Concepts: Sylvia Sotomayor.>Alt-Text: A gold coin spattered with blood. A leaf and skull are emblazoned on its face.It makes sense to stay here. If the Guilds and their scrotum carriers try anything, you’ll have an entire village of witnesses.
“6, tell me about the Garden Guild. They’ll be here first.”
6 Knife: Under their control? Every plant west of The Desert. Rivals of the Fountain Guild. Water in all farms? Garden Guild money in Fountain Guild pockets.
“And I bet they don’t like the Fountainers shaking down farmers when THEY could be doing that.”
6 Knife: Life’s Wheel of-
“I know, I know. ‘Life is pain.’ If I wanted cringe religious poetry I’d talk to Oh-ra. At least they have booze. The important thing is the Gardners might be open to me suggesting a change in management.
6 Knife: Temme money pē ke from the Fountain Guild to us Servents of Freedom. Fight with them? Fight with us.
“I don’t know what means, but you don’t seem happy about it.”
6 closes their lips tight. Like an ocean of hate is being held behind their teeth.
They pull out their dagger and for a moment, you regret talking to them alone
6 Knife: This? Freedom. Not... employment. Soiled knives inside bodies not for peace, but for profit. Wealth and slaves in the Sacred Temple, shining trinkets and weapons under our vaults instead of hils of grateful corpses. Makers of Death because of rich men’s orders instead of in pursuit of Universal Liberation.
“I think I preferred ‘Life is Pain.’”
6 calms down a bit and sheaves their knife, your crappy humor DE-escalating a situation for once.
“How many of the ... Servants of Freedom think the way you do?”
6 Knife: *sigh*. Not enough.
They walk off, the deadliest warrior you’ve ever known sulking like a dumped teenager. But the intel is good.
The Gardeners probably won't have kill-happy super soldier backup, but the Fountain Guild may.
And your interpreter bodyguard has some political positions that could prove interesting. In the meantime, you have a day before the Gardners get here. What do you do?
>Write-in 