Azrak was trying to recover from the shock of what he had seen by following Hikmar's connection; he was struggling to compose himself. To soothe the slight dizziness budding in his body, he leaned toward the truck window and began to breathe in the air. He had been inside another human's network for so long that his own body modules were disoriented. Noticing his exhausted state while sitting atop the vehicle, Jul stood up, slipped through the window, and came to Azrak's side.
"I'm fine, my dear friend," Azrak said, placing his hand on Jul's head.
At that moment, the door of the rear bed burst open. Hikmar walked hunched over beneath his robes until he reached the driver's compartment. While staring long at the road the autonomous vehicle was traveling, he glanced at Azrak out of the corner of his eye.
"What happened, dear Azrak?" Hikmar asked. "You look tired…"
"Since when has a cybernetic been seen to be tired?" Azrak said with a laugh.
"Even if a cybernetic can balance their hormones with a few modules or restrain their impulses, they cannot dictate their thoughts, dear Azrak. Let me guess… You are thinking about our followers in the west, aren't you?"
"Yes…" Azrak said. "…I'm thinking about them, Dear Hikmar. In Exosanguis, no one helps anyone. During a relic hunt, it's more common for hunters to shoot each other over something valuable than to look out for one another. That's why I'm not accustomed to help. Help makes me suspicious."
"We've nearly reached the second charging point… As our journey nears its end, your doubts will be eased, but first, we must prepare, mustn't we? Just because our friends in the west helped in the previous ambush, we cannot expect every kind of support from them."
"Indeed, Wise Hikmar. This was only the first day of the journey…"