[Worm]

No it didn't make sense. Rin ignored Ashi's pleas for shade. He was much more concerned about the issue of unpaid bounty. Plus, he had no idea what they were bound to encounter here. While Upperside was always a shit show of human waste, it was always much worse in the SBM. Now, it was desolate. A warm wind whipped across the dry terrain. "No, I know Val. He would be the last person on Earth if it came down to it. We just need to find him."

Rin spun a dial on his goggles, heat sensors. It wasn't as hot as it looked, but he saw a rising pool of heat in the distance. "That way." He pointed to the right. The entrance to the black market was just a hole in the ground now, no markers or anything. So if they wanted to find their way back it was up to them.

"So, you're just going to ignore the fact that Ashi can't survive for very long out here?" Drishe prodded, galloping to catch up to the adamant hunter.

"I'm not ignoring it, I'm trying to get us somewhere safe as fast as possible." He avoided eye contact with the djinni, focusing forward.

"This is all about you and your bounty isn't it?" Drishe sneered.

Rin stopped in his tracks. "What the hell am I going to do with my share? Huh? In the middle of a wasteland?! I'd be surprised if I could even find food, or a rock to sleep on." The stretch of desert seemed to go on forever, and nothing to landmark. It was incredibly flat.

"Then how do you you know where you're going? How do you know, that my master will be safe?" Drishe was rising in temperature now. This was her only mission. Keep Ashi safe. She stood in front of Rin, a head taller than him, glaring down into his eyes.

"I know, because I want her safe as much as you do." He growled.

"Hah, that is impossible human." She scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Josef, I could really use one of those stogies if you've got another..." He snapped his fingers in irritation.

"And that is a habit that will most certainly need to be extinguished." Drished muttered.

"Look djinni, instead of bitching about my habits and our relationships with each other, maybe you could actually help us get somewhere safe. Okay?" Rin was fed up with her shit. He was in a new environment with god knows what could happen, and she was a devil whispering in his ear.

"Yes, Master." She snarled sarcastically.

Rin lead the way, following the pool of heat towards more flat land. Luckily it seemed as though the sun was setting. They got there at a decent time, although night would've been preferable. When the sun got low enough to emanate a warm red glow, a low buzzing of insects gave hope that there was still life on this planet. After walking for a couple of hours and seeing only flat death, Rin was starting to wonder if they'd even see another human being. But then again, he knew Val. And he knew that that fucker was around here somewhere.

The chatter of insects could only soothe for so long. It began to stir up fear of other things. Like what was still alive?

Along the way, Drishe had been stamping purple sigils into the ground to help them find their way back if needed. She'd remained mostly quiet after Rin's brash comment. When the sun finally set, an aura of fire glowed on the horizon. That most likely meant civilization, or some form of it. Rin smiled again, and a weight was lifted from his shoulders. "I'm coming for you, Val."