Chapter 32: Signal Across Planets
"Ten slabs of stormfang meat," the beastkin trader growled, "and I’ll throw in the scaled bindings."
Zaruun stood silent beneath the shadow of a jagged war-arch, his arms folded, his broad form wrapped in weathered crimson robes. Heat shimmered off the arena sands around them, but no one flinched.
"Scaled bindings aren’t worth salt," Zaruun said, voice deep, blunt. "I’ve seen firebeetles chew through them in seconds."
The trader bared his fangs. "They’re ceremonial!"
"Ceremonial doesn’t stop blood from leaking," Zaruun replied.
He reached into his belt pouch, pulled out a gleaming Earth-packaged protein bar, and held it up like a relic. "You want a real trade? One of these will feed three squads for a raid day. High calories. Compressed nutrients."
The beastkin’s eyes widened. "That... smells like peanut butter."
"I’ll take twenty pelts," Zaruun said calmly, "and your best mana bone. You get one bar."
A pause.
Then a slow nod. "Deal."
They clasped wrists—one blood-stained, the other wrapped in faintly glowing battle-thread.