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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
97
"You
would?"
"Most
certainly.
A
few
Hunteds
every
year
escape
into
the
mountains.
The
officials
won't
talk
about
it,
of
course,
and
most
citizens
don't
know.
But
the
Assassin's
Guild
keeps
complete
records
of
every
trick,
device,
and
escape
ever
used.
It's
part
of
our
business."
"That's
very
interesting,"
Barrent
said.
He
knew
that
Rend
had
seen
through
his
disguise.
Tem
was
being
a
good
neighbor--though
a
bad
assassin.
"Of
course,"
Rend
said,
"it
isn't
easy
to
get
out
of
the
city.
And
once
a
man's
out,
that
doesn't
mean
he's
clear.
There
are
Hunter
patrols
to
watch
out
for,
and
even
worse
than
that--"
Rend
stopped
abruptly.
A
group
of
Hunters
were
coming
toward
them.
Rend
nodded
pleasantly
and
walked
off.
After
the
Hunters
had
passed,
Barrent
got
up
and
started
walking.
Rend
had
given
him
good
advice.
Of
course
some
men
would
escape
from
the
city.
Life
in
Omega's
barren
mountains
would
be
extremely
difficult;
but
any
difficulty
was
better
than
death.
If
he
were
able
to
get
by
the
city
gate,
he
would
have
to
watch
for
the
hunting
patrols.
And
Tem
had
mentioned
something
worse.
Barrent
wondered
what
that
was.
Special
mountain-trained
Hunters,
perhaps?
Omega's
unstable
climate?
Deadly
flora
and
fauna?
He
wished
Rend
had
been
able
to
finish
the
sentence.
By
nightfall
he
had
reached
the
South
Gate.
Bent
painfully
over,
he
hobbled
toward
the
guard
detachment
that
blocked
his
way
out.
Chapter
Seventeen
There
was
no
trouble
with
the
guards.
Whole
families
of
mutants
were
streaming
out
of
the
city,
seeking
the
protection
of
the
mountains
until
the
frenzy
of
the
Hunt
was
over.
Barrent
attached
himself
to
one
of
these
groups,
and
soon
he
found
himself
a
mile
past
Tetrahyde,
in
the
low
foothills
that
curled
in
a
semicircle
around
the
city.
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