Syloth sat at the desk clacking the last bounty for the day into the terminal when he felt a chill like a cold breath down the back of his neck, he looked up.

"Hello, I have a bounty for you." The tall pale man before him placed a box down on the table.

"We're closed for today" Syloth said.
"I'm sure you could fit one more in" replied the man.
"Though I'm sure I could fit one more in" Syloth said without quite knowing why.

The pale man pressed a button on the box and the plexiglass front defrosted to reveal a decaying head. "One Reno Salazar"

Syloth scanned through the lists and shook his head. "Who? I don't recognise the name, sounds like some third rate sumpsucker, we're not interested."

"I assure you he'll be there, would you like me to spell it for you?"

Syloth rolled his eyes as he typed in the name into the console it took a second, it's blank screen glowing a dull green before a match blinked in.

"Oh yeah, 'ere he is: Reno Salazar, a 'eretical fanatic.. err.. stiring up disorder.. debauchery, unrest all throughout the lower hives..." Syloth whistled through his teeth "pretty little bounty on this one" he stopped himself "this was put out 103 cycles ago, how the fuck did you find this?"

"I was here when they issued it"

"Hah, sure, give us yer seal I'll run the biometrics"

The metrics matched. Syloth fed the seal into the terminal, it's machines started whirring -:::- Approved hunter#25675 Konrad Vorcha -:::- Syloth stared in disbelief, the man standing before him looked no older than himself he barely had a bionic on him, yet.. -:::- last collected bounty 104 cycles ago -:::-

"Is everything in order?" Asked the pale man

"Err yeah, 'course" Syloth confirmed the bounty bagged, tagged it, and approved the transferral of credits.

"Thank you." The pale man turned and walked out. Warmth returned to the room and the back of Syloth's neck, he suddenly felt quite ill.


'103 cycles, had it really been that long?' Vorcha walked back through the streets of Cog Port, perhaps things did look a bit different and ever since Salazar and the sword.. things had certainly changed. Finding Reno had been easy he didn't exactly leave a quiet trail, sold out chem dealers, sex parties turned bloodbaths he was a walking commercial. Killing him had been even easier he was blissed out of his skull on calma after some sordid bender, and besides the sword had chosen a new master by then, one who could realise it's true potential.

When he prised the gleaming red blade out of Salazar's still warm hands he heard a whisper it spoke of secrets, and powers. He listened, he had no idea how long for. It showed him delights, thirsts he never knew he'd wanted, and how to sate them, for a time, but they came back, they always came back. The Sanguine Toungue a blessing, and a curse, but oh what a delicious blessing it was. He drank deep from Salazar's open throat. He felt alive.

Vorcha checked his data slate for the guilders payment, when he took the bounty on this amount of credits would have been enough to retire on but he had grander aspirations and besides, he had a family now and they were hungry.