Endosymbiosis

11. Anemia

Fifth circle of the Empire
Blood District

I wasn't going to kill him, obviously. But what he took was no medicine.

The first dose was to temporarily slow his heartbeat down. He would pass out in a few minutes and then I would be able to drop him in the nearest world. But maybe those slow heartbeats would make the vehicle think he was dead... So I had to give him the "antidote".

I was wondering when he had enabled the ship's destruction... Maybe the night before, in retaliation in case I tried something; or maybe a long time ago, because he kept in that ship something that no one else could ever have... Even after his death.

Or maybe it was a lie. But I wasn't going to test it.

We landed the ship - or rather, the "Hasta" - on the outskirts of an urban center on the surface of the Blood District. That world was deserted beyond the pale central city, but not to the point where there wasn't some convenience stores dotted along the side of the road.

We entered one of them. Inside, tall shelves stretched a maze through the cramped environment, filled with products in silver packages that I couldn't guess what they were. Behind the cashier's counter a creature with four pairs of scrawny arms and pointy bones jutting out from beneath the thin grayish skin stared into the blankness of a wall, as if he weren't inside his own body. His closed mouth couldn't contain his sharp fangs and I wondered what they looked like in full display... But I wouldn't want to find out. His three huge eyes in triangular conformation were the milky color of storm clouds, and his tiny pupils were outlined in red streaks. Vorrampe was the name we gave to beings of that species, which I sometimes saw at the Oasis, because of its proximity to the Blood District.

As if a bomb was going to explode at any moment, Arkadi searched for what he needed. He precariously gathered in his arms five cylindrical vials that emitted an almost radioactive glow and dumped them on the counter, waking the creature with the movement. Arkadi remembered something he had forgotten and then ran to get a can of energy drink. Apparently he also needed to be recharged.

"Why so many energy drinks?" I couldn't contain my curiosity.

"It's the best weapon to deal with the fatigue of those who do not sleep well at night."

"And why don't you sleep well at night?"

He shrugged, not knowing the answer - or not caring - and went back to the counter.

"Apparently we're in a hurry..." I commented, while the seller silently scanned our goods.

"This is not the kind of world for long visits." Arkadi muttered and sent me a look over his shoulder that woke up shivers in me. "They say this land is thirsty... And that when unsuspecting visitors stay too long, it stretches to swallow them... Everyone, even the most bitter, vanish below the surface and their screams become the roars that move the ground."

Arkadi placed his starstones on the table.

But the whirlwind did not catch them.

"It is not enough." The creature warned in his language, which sounded as if the words came out scratching the walls of his body, as sharp as the bones that tried to sprout through his skin. I was going to translate his words for Arkadi, but he already understood them.

"How much more?" He growled.

"The double."

Arkadi snorted and peered into his pockets.

"All that's left is to want one of my kidneys..."

"What does a kidney do?"

"Filters blood."