The three newcomers spread out slowly, their movements deliberately menacing, forming a loose semi-circle around the exhausted Ayra and the vigilant Lia.
The wiry, scarred man who had spoken was flanked by two companions: a hulking brute with a shaved head wielding a crude spiked club, and a smaller, rat-faced figure clutching a pair of rusty vibro-daggers.
He grinned, revealing yellowed, predatory teeth.
"Don't look so scared, sweet things," the scarred man sneered, his gaze flicking between Ayra's battle-worn form and Lia's serene, yet now wary, posture.
"We're just here to… collect. Payment for clearing out this nasty beast for ya.
"He gestured with a grimy thumb towards the massive, still-twitching corpse of the Gloomfang Devourer.
"And maybe… a little extra compensation for our trouble." His eyes roved over them again, lewd and possessive.
Ayra, despite her fatigue from the brutal fight with the Level 13 Alpha, felt a fresh surge of icy fury.
