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Kian nodded. "Then go. I'll get a replacement."
"Thank you." Brundar bowed his head, which Kalugal had only ever seen him do in the presence of the Clan Mother.
Anandur looked incredulous. "This is so unfair. I got turned down twice, and he gets to go after asking once?"
Kian shrugged. "If you want to go so badly, I can find a replacement for you as well."
The redhead crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, I don't want to go on principle. I'm staying."
Kian didn't seem affected by the theatrics, probably because he was used to them.
Bhathian, who had been listening to their exchange, walked over to Brundar. "You should get armed."
Brundar patted his chest. "I have all I need right here."
Dagor
As the winch detached from the lifeboat Dagor braced for impact, but as the vessel hit the water, it was minimal. Nevertheless, he and his companions got sprayed with ocean water.
When the other boat hit the water moments later, they were sprayed again.
"Damn," Negal cursed next to him. "Now I will have to smell the ocean on myself until we get back."
"It's not that bad." Dagor lifted his T-shirt and sniffed at it. "You've gotten spoiled."
"I have," Negal admitted. "It has been a long time since I’ve had to endure any hardship, and I don't miss it. I like wearing clean clothes, sleeping in a comfortable bed, and getting regular showers."
"I hear you," the Guardian sitting on Negal's other side said. "That's why I love our current mode of operations. We go in, free the victims, and take care of the scum who's holding them in one way or another, and the whole thing takes no more than sixhours, including the drive to and from the mission. I never have to go to bed without showering."
"Do you go on missions every day?" Negal asked.
As the two continued talking about the rescue missions the clan engaged in on a regular basis, Dagor checked his gear once again, ensuring everything was in place. The weight of the weapons was unfamiliar, but it was somewhat comforting even though he didn't expect to make use of them. They were primitive compared to what he'd been trained on, crude even.
His strength, his speed, and his enhanced senses would most likely suffice, and he doubted he would need more than that to fight a few immortals and a horde of humans.
Even though the rebellion was a thing of the past and no one expected another Kra-ell insurgence, the powers that be had decided to ensure that the new generation of gods was built as efficient killing machines. He had never thought in those terms before getting drafted, but during training, it had been drilled into the minds of the new recruits. They were a protective shield for Anumati's society in case the gods' home was ever attacked again, either by the Kra-ell, who were their neighbors, or unknown outside forces. Their enhancements were insurance. The decision to enhance the physical strength of the next generation was made to ensure that they never got caught again with their pants down, as the human saying went.
There were only about twenty people in each boat, which was a fraction of what they could carry, but it was done to create the perception of a much larger force in case the Doomers and their cartel goons discovered their mode of transportation. Besides, as a rule, two were better than one in case one got damaged, or some other unforeseen event took place.
The truth was that Dagor was impressed with the level of planning that had gone into the mission.
It was always better to spend the time preparing and accounting for all contingencies than going in with a half-baked plan and fighting harder and longer than necessary. If everything went according to Turner's plan, the actual battle would be over in minutes.
The big question was whether the enemy had brought the hostages to the site or was hiding them somewhere else. The contingency for that was to capture the Doomers' leader and interrogate him to reveal their location.
It was also important to find out what these Doomers knew and whether they had reported the incident to their superiors on the island.
The sea was calm, but the waves breaking at the shore bounced the boat around. The boat slowed as it approached the designated landing spot, and the team readied themselves to disembark.
When they got within wading distance, Dagor and Negal followed the Guardians' example and strapped their rifles high across their chests before jumping into the water that reached below their waists.
After dragging the boats to shore, they put some effort into camouflaging the vessels so they wouldn't be visible from the highway, which was only a few hundred feet away, and then walked to where the vehicles were parked discreetly, hidden from casual view but easily accessible.
As the team divided among the vehicles, Dagor joined the lead car. He double-checked the earpiece he had been given, and then the convoy set off, leaving the shoreline behind.
His thoughts turned to Frankie.
He had left her safe and sound on the ship, and he already missed her. Even the thrill of the upcoming battle wasn't enough to overshadow the tight feeling in the pit of his stomach where an invisible tether connected him to her.
