Chapter 9: Mechvet Merrick
The sack hit the table with a hollow clatter, loose beast bones, mech scraps and Vincintine fragments spilling out across the rough work table.
Harlon exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck, sleeves damp with sweat and soot from working the tower’s engines. His brown hair stuck to his forehead and his coat smelled faintly of the aether filters used at the Beastcorp base tower.
"Some Riftwalkers cleared a Gold Rank Rift, and we were also running a full sweep of the tower’s main engine. Had to change many parts," he explained to David who stood by the table, staring at the sack and its spilled content.
"I managed to grab some Darcbeast parts from the clearing. The ones left behind by the troopers of course. Some of my mates were pissed that I was greedy with how much I took. But hey, my son’s going to the Academy soon. I’ve got my work cut out for me here."
David’s eyes gleamed. The sack held a fortune in scraps if you knew how to look, and since Jethro had been an expert in determining scraps that could fetch some credits, it wasn’t difficult either for David.
There were charred scale sheaths with flecks of shimmer still embedded, a scorched claw with its edge chipped though seemed sharp enough, a piece of bone with a glowing green liquid seeping out.
"Darcbeasts are not much different from mechbeasts are they?" David said, holding up a partial talon glowing faintly along its cracked edge. He passed it to his father.
Harlon nodded. "Not really. They’re both still beasts, except Darcbeasts have corrupted skin. But they’re cleansing methods that people use to purify it. Someone’ll definitely want it."
David smiled. "Thanks, Dad."
"Come on," Harlon said. "Help me sort."
He pulled out a cracked visor and an eye lens the size of his palm. David joined in and the two of them moved like gear in sync, sorting, weighing and evaluating. Harlon handled the heavy stuff, while David decided which were valuable. In an hour, they’d picked out the keepers and packed the rest for melt-sale.