{-Tinath-}
“I’m sure you’ve already guessed what happened,” Duuzlo said, calm and clear. “This is most certainly something of Nankohm’s doing, as they’ve found that none of their other options are working. They believe that they’re ‘running out of time’ to make a difference—or, rather, to ‘fix’ their past ‘mistakes.’ Their ways of discreetly solving this problem have all failed. So they believe the only way they’re going to be able to do anything now is to solve the problem at its root.”
Tinath really didn’t want to ask, and she was pretty sure the other two didn’t either, but still she prompted, “That doesn’t happen to mean what I’m afraid it does, does it..?”
He gave a grim nod. “They tried to go right to the code. After all, in essence, that’s all everyone here is—lines of code and folders of assets. Nankohm believed that, if they could get rid of the three of them from there, it would solve all of their problems… If they removed Casrane, Llewel, and Myr out of the equation, then things would be just as they were always ‘meant’ to be.”
“But that’s all handled now, right?” Zetai questioned. “You solved that problem, and that’s not something we have to worry about anymore?”
“As far as I can tell, this situation has been as resolved as I can make it,” Duuzlo responded. “But I’m sure that what I’ve done will be enough, at least for the time being. As I mentioned before, all three of them have woken up—they just need a little bit longer to rest and recover. After that, they’ll be ready to tackle the other problems ahead of them.”
“Last time they had the twins,” Reynneak nervously began, “they put the game into maintenance. Wouldn’t something like that be necessary, if they’re altering the code? It seems like something big enough that they can’t just act like they didn’t do anything…”
Duuzlo considered it for a moment, then answered, “If I’m going to be completely honest, I’m not sure. All I know is, since the last time, they’ve been hesitant to announce any more impromptu maintenances. I assume they were intending to simply do it now, then put it into effect during the next scheduled maintenance. I’m not completely sure, however, if something this serious would be bound to the laws of what is and is not in the present version of the game. This is something that will be felt by everyone, regardless of it—that much I’m sure of.”
“Then why not just wait for the next scheduled maintenance to do it..?”
“Their apparent urgency is likely the main reason, but it could also be related to your ongoing circumstances. After all, Anseshara seems like a fitting place to end it all—and, in a way, that’s how we fell into their trap. They assumed that Casrane, Llewel, and Myr would brush aside anything they felt as old memories of the place. And in that regard, Nankohm was right.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
He probably didn’t mean it like that but, with the way he said it, he almost made it sound like it was preventable… like there was something that Tinath, Zetai, or Reynneak could’ve done if they just paid more attention. That maybe, if they’d asked more questions, or refused to take “no” or “later” as an answer, they might not need to have this conversation with Duuzlo in the first place…
“I hope that clears up most of your questions.” Duuzlo slowly stood up. “I’d like to check on just one more thing, and then you’ll be able to speak with Casrane, Llewel, and Myr. So, please, excuse me for a few moments.”
It was clear how they all turned to see where he went. And their collective sighs of relief to see Casrane and the twins there were even more evident. But none of them moved from their spots because, they knew, the three of them might want a little bit of space before they were truly ready for it.
From what Tinath could see, though, it seemed like it was mostly just Duuzlo talking. The three others mostly just nodded in response to whatever he was telling them. And though she recognized that usually wasn’t a good thing, she told herself to wait to see how it played out instead.
While she hoped that one of the three of them would be the first to say something, it was actually Duuzlo. “Seeing that my duty’s done here, I believe it’s about time I head back to Nafrius,” he said. “I’ll keep in touch, though, in case anything similar happens again. But for now, it’s safe to say that you can enjoy your time together.”
Reynneak nodded. “Thank you for your help. Have a safe trip back.”
Zetai and Tinath gave mumbles of agreement, and Casrane and the twins gave quiet but happier farewells.
“So, we’ve still got the rest of the afternoon,” Zetai remarked. Most of her attention was on Casrane and the twins. “What do you guys want to do?”
“You’re allowed to say ‘nothing,’” Reynneak offered gently. “We could just sit here and talk for a little bit, if that’s what you’d prefer. You’re probably still exhausted from what happened, I don’t think any of us are going to blame you if you decide to have another day or two to relax.”
The three of them looked between each other, and Casrane and Llewel shook their heads, but it was ultimately Myr to be the first to say anything.
“No,” she decided, “we want to spend some time with you.”
Now, Tinath was well aware of very specific wording, and she understood that there was definitely more on their minds. But she didn’t say anything, and neither did Zetai or Reynneak if they came to the same conclusion that she did.
“What do you want to do, then?” Zetai prompted. Reynneak pulled up the map as soon as she glanced over at him. “I don’t know how many quick ones near the city there are, though, and we only have a couple of hours left to be on today…”
“It doesn’t have to be a lot,” Llewel said. “Just something to pass a bit of time. We’ll probably have some time to do something else tomorrow…”
“Didn’t Ornetta unlock a few more for us?” Tinath asked. “I’m pretty sure those were all simpler.”
Casrane, slowly, nodded. “That sounds like it would be a good set of final quests…”