Page 3788

‘Every child I have ever sent to study under your tutelage has come back either unrecognizable or not at all,’ said Dozer.

‘But not stupider! Never that! And c’mon. Let’s not pretend like this is some one-sided thing. You’ve offed plenty of my little fellas.’

‘I’ve dealt with raving lunatics who you failed to control, yes. That is not the same.’

‘Sure it is! And that’s perfectly fine by me! Nothin’ to be embarrassed about! If anyone is ever gonna finally stand alongside us, then they’ll have to be capable of dealing with all of our unfair bullshit! Trial by fire is the only way!’

Hmph. A rare point of agreement between them. Dozer didn’t want to acknowledge it, though, so he merely said nothing. That was no problem, of course, because one of the things that made this man so insufferable was his ability to ramble on endlessly with no input from whomever he was supposedly having a conversation with.

‘Don’t be coy, Dozy! I know you well enough by now! You’re just as uncompromising as I am when it comes to disciplining the so-called “rising stars.” Sure, I may do it more often, and sure, you may not make as much of a show of it as I like to, but that doesn’t change the fact that, ultimately, we’re cut from the same cloth, you and I. More in common than not, I’d say. In fact, that’s probably why we’re so good at getting under each other’s skin, eh?’

Nonsense. They couldn’t have been more different. But saying as much would only provoke further irritating remarks, no doubt. He wanted to move the subject back to something more utilitarian. The slowed down mayhem before him was still inching closer. He’d have to decide what to do about it soon. ‘You should be aware that if you do manage to kill Germal, I will require tremendous compensation. He has proven immensely useful to me. Replacing him will not be a simple task.’

‘Hmm! Sounds like a you problem!’

‘I will ensure that it is yours, as well.’

‘Ugh, come on. What am I even supposed to do for you, huh? Every time I offer you a favor, you tell me to screw off! Kinda hard to compensate you when you’re always acting like such an unpleasable ass.’

‘That is because your “favors” are always poisoned.’

‘They are not!’

‘Lies upon lies.’