As the leader of the Vulture People, Hashmian fixated his eyes on the corpse. The face of the Mulan warrior had twisted into an expression of agony, and his curled mustache framed a wide, gaping mouth, as if still giving a silent yet unwilling cry. The eyes had sunk and dried out from the blazing sun, like clumps of rotten cotton stuffed in the sockets.
"He once followed me on a campaign to Dile country, where he slew three Dile men and took an arrow in his right shoulder," Aegean said, pulling back the warrior's camel hide armor to reveal a raised, purple scar on the stiff shoulder.
"In this world, probably only Aegean could keep each of his warriors in mind," Hashmian of the Vulture People conceded with heartfelt admiration as he prostrated himself once again.
