100 in 100!

[kaige68.livejournal.com]

Your challenge (should you choose to accept it) is to crank out 100 words or 1 graphic inspired by the word:
Wage

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[agdhani.livejournal.com]

Before either Gracen or Donn could give orders, six of their attendants rallied around them as a shield while the other six charged into the fray of the unwary population. Most often the borough residents retreated from a HOPE show of force, and when one of Gracen’s men tossed a smoking cannister of gas into their midst, they expected the horde would retreat. The wage for the effort, however, was an increased vigor in the attack that pinned HOPE’s men, and thus Gracen and Donnovan, against the iron gate.
“Open the gate!” Donn roared again.
“What should we do?” Ortega shouted.
Jia and Nik looked at one another, both torn between allowing the people of LaGuardia to do their work for them and doing what mercy and law bid them to do. It was a choice Jia was unable to make, as she did not want to counteract Nik’s previous decision; by the time Nik made his choice seconds later and replied, “Open the gate…get those two in here only…” two of HOPE’s men had yanked their leaders by their hands, along the side wall, and into the shadow where the Fortress lights did not reach and the press of the crowd prevented anyone from seeing.
“Break them up!” Jia cried. It appeared the HOPE soldiers had fallen and some of the LaGuardia crowd had run off in pursuit of Donn and the Anakarist. “We need to find them before they do!”
From the wall and through the gate, warning shots, arrows meant to injure but not kill and stinging buckshot were, fired into the crowd, driving them back to the fringes of the Fortress torchlight where they milled about long enough to conclude that they had won their assault against HOPE. A cheer erupted and by the time the gates were open, the crowd had taken their congratulatory cheers of celebration into the borough streets.
“You should get inside,” Ortega grunted. “We’ve got this.” If anyone thought to get into the fortress as the dead were collected and men were sent to hunt down Donnovan and the Anakarist, he did not want to be responsible for anyone else dying tonight.
“But we can help,” protested Nik. Lilla had said he was a tracker. Surely there must be something he could do to help. And the Cana could certainly hunt down his brother and the Anakarist before word of this night got back to Lord.
If they didn’t find Gracen first, there would be no chance for diplomatic talks to proceed, let alone work.
“You’re both safer here. There’ll be a ton of people out there if that racket,” Vance cocked his head towards the ongoing shouts and cheers of celebration, “continues. I’ll find who started this…and find them both, if I can. Torben…Pain…get them inside.”
The bodyguards obeyed their directives and steered the reluctant Laedans back into the building.