Dust to Dust: Man 03

Slur

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Leaving the investigations tent, Pile pulled his sled off to the side of the pathway to get out of traffic. He then pulled out the hollowed out reed Travis had given him and gave it a blow, it was time for them to meet up again. There was no obvious effect when he blew through the reed, so he stared at it in consternation.

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Then a black blur flashed through the streets of tents and pedestrians; it was Travis riding his black wolf companion.

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That mobility is even beyond that of my fastest form, the mud rabbit. It'd be impossible to outpace them as I am now.

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Travis didn't say a word as they approached, instead gesturing for Pile to follow him. Putting his curiosity of Travis' silence aside for the time being, Pile followed the path that the ranger duo carved through the road towards the opposite end of the camp. Tents became dirtier, stained by soot and marred by burns. The clang of hammers the roar of the furnace was all the sound the wind would carry. If there was someone to talk to about powersuits, they would be here.

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Travis just stayed on top of the wolf, not responding to the stares of the people around him. A few hushed words were passed between a group of blacksmiths as they passed him, causing his stoic nonchalance to change into a pained grimace.

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Pile tried to catch his attention to learn of the grievance, but Travis simply would not respond to him. The black wolf shook her head in the direction of a beige utilitarian tent with a smokestack sticking out of the top, indicating for Pile to leave them and go about his business.

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And so Pile left the duo alone.

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He walked into the workshop tent to find a man with grey hair working on a joint between two armor plates. Pile soundlessly approached the craftsman and held the armor plates for him, allowing the worker to complete his task faster.

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"Thanks man, the shop's vices got left behind in the last move. It's been hell working since. Whadja need?"

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"I'd like your opinion on my powersuit, I built it over a few years and now I'm finding out that it's not very unique at all. Let me know if there's anything I can improve on it."

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"Can do mate, you got gold?"

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Gold. Is that what they use to trade? The humans that attacked the darkness in the cavern took all the gold there when they left, it must have significant value.

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"I don't have any gold on me, no. Will you do a trade? I have plenty of oil."

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"Like water to a man in a desert, hell yea I'll trade for oil. Always low on these long stints away from the main workshop. Just siphon off a gallon into the tank over there while I take a look at your suit. Take it off one piece at a time and set it up on that man-shaped rack over there, it'll make the inspection easier."

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Pile began to detach his armor from his hardpoints, concealing the hardpoints under his sand-skin as he went. It was a slow process but it was necessary to protect his secret. Eventually his armor was reassembled on the rack and he was left fully naked, oblivious to his inappropriate exposure.

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"No undergarments? Not even something to cover your junk? The friction must be killer. You've got brass balls kid, I'll give you that," the worker seemed equal parts astonished and impressed.

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Close. They're bronze, not brass.

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"This uh, this is going to take longer than expected. What are these connections for? What did you use to make measurements for this? How did... Just... come back in a few hours. I need peace. Take this as collateral." The worker was in a frenzy, not able to look away from the armor as he salivated over it. He absentmindedly unlocked a strongbox underneath the table he was working at and left a large bag of gold on the table. "Just take it and go, it's worth enough to by this tent ten times over. Come back at nightfall and I'll let you know anything you want, it's the least I can do after being able to investigate this."

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After that, the worker completely ignored Pile's presence and got to work. Pile took this as his cue to leave, so he grabbed the bag of gold and walked outside.

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Just in time to see a rock get thrown at Travis.

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"Hah, fuckin' NPC loser. Fight back ya moron."

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"I thought we killed you all? Didn't know any useless wastes of space like you still existed."

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"Eat shit and die, NPC. And take your bitch with you."

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A crowd of young men around Travis' age were crowded around him, throwing stones and insults at him. The ranger and the wolf just stared ahead, ignoring their sustained injuries. After a few minutes of this treatment the crowd got bored and dispersed, leaving only Pile and the ranger duo.

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Majestically, like a King moving across the battlefield mounted on his steed, Travis rode the black wolf over to where Pile stood speechless. A regal aura shone through all the blood and bruises that stained his visage, he radiated hope in the face of adversity.

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"....Why are you naked."

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:D

Didn't realize that I was cutting chapters a bit short, dialogue adds quite a bit of time to writing :/

It's a good thing, and something I'm getting used to. Chapters will work their way back up to 1k+ words a day as I get used to it, I think this one clocks in around 900 iirc.