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As everyone made their way up this dark tower, hoping to find a path to the surface, Roman finally deigned to give them some peace and quiet; and Loren decided to seize the opportunity in order to have a private conversation with Rezolo.

‘You okay, Rezo?’

‘Hmph. Why are you asking?’

‘Just checking in. Caster made me disappear from right in front of you. Then he teleported you, too. Now we’re here, involved in Void-knows-what.’

‘I’m fine.’

Agh. The reaper had always had a tendency to go quiet on him--which, in Loren’s experience, was somewhat rare for their kind. In some ways, that was a relief. Loren certainly appreciated not having to deal with a motormouth all the time like many of his contemporaries had to, but it did have its downsides, too.

He decided to keep pushing. ‘What do you make of these people so far?’

‘They’re dangerous.’

No kidding. ‘Darksteel mentioned wanting to poach us from Caster.’

‘I wouldn’t put too much stock in that, if I were you.’

A part of Loren wanted to protest. To ask why. But a stronger part of him was already in agreement with the reaper.

It felt naive in countless ways. A childish hope. And the child in him had died during the Vaelish Civil War. Just think about it. Poach them? Why would Darksteel do that? He didn’t know the first thing about them.

And besides, Caster had been a fine boss, hadn’t he? Supremely strange, but fine. Better than anyone Loren had worked under before.

Pah. ‘Poach.’ That word wasn’t even correct, was it? Darksteel didn’t want him for his skills. Darksteel just pitied him. Viewed him as a slave under Caster’s thumb.

But then... wasn’t he?

Idiot. Why was he trying to feel offended at the thought of being pitied? Some sort of pride? There was no utility in that. There never had been. That was the first and most important lesson he’d ever learned.

Pride hadn’t saved his parents from the so-called “revolutionaries.” For all the “pride” and “dignity” that his father had maintained during that break-in, trying to appear strong, what difference had it made? He’d been gunned down just the same.

And then later, pride hadn’t saved those other kids in the forest, either. It hadn’t filled their bellies when they acted like they were too good to learn how to hunt. They were fine taking the food that Loren caught and prepped for them, but no. They couldn’t learn how to do it themselves.

That was probably why they got sick and died. And why he and the others survived. Mira and Kaul. Trill and Stoker. They didn’t let pride get in the way. They did whatever it took to survive.