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‘Nice to meet you,’ said Garovel. ‘Apologies if we have unsettled you. You can be assured that we mean you no harm. As long as you do not attack us or any civilians, we will not attack you.’

The man made no response.

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Loren Lighteyes was uncomfortable. And yet also not. There was conflict in his heart, and he wasn’t entirely sure where it was coming from.

Which was a warning sign, he’d come to believe. Whenever he felt this type of unexplained anxiety, especially upon meeting a new person, it was a warning sign. His mutated body’s way of telling him to be careful.

He hadn’t started believing this so strongly until quite recently. His trips around the continent with Caster Egmond had allowed him to meet some very strange people, many of whom turned out to be far more dangerous than they at first seemed.

Of course, it had always been a general concern of his to be wary of others. That wasn’t anything new. Nor was it a great revelation that particularly powerful servants often gave off an uncomfortable, oppressive air. He’d met Dozer and Gohvis before, after all.

But this was something else. Something much quieter. If meeting one of those guys was like hearing alarm bells going off for a tornado warning, then meeting someone like this was like hearing the wind pick up and seeing storm clouds on the horizon.

Definitely not the same. But maybe not so different, either. Maybe more deadly, actually, just because he didn’t know if he should be fleeing or not.

Certainly, this armored guy and his reaper seemed amicable enough so far, but that could always change in a heartbeat.

After their escape from Corrico, they had visited a number of odd places as Caster continued to search for ground that was “suitable” to build his “tower” on.

They’d met a woman in Dante who had been perfectly lovely and sweet to them, if a bit peculiar. She offered to let them stay a few days in her little cottage in the mountains. She’d cooked for them, had pleasant conversation with them regarding philosophy, and even washed their clothes for them. At one point, Loren had started to wonder if the mysterious woman might’ve actually been Caster’s secret wife or lover.

Until she attacked them in the middle of the night, destroying the cottage in an instant and even wounding Caster in the process.