{-Myr-}

She didn’t know if she actually slept or if she just laid there, nor how long she was there before she heard the familiar voices.

“Don’t wake her up if she’s sleeping,” Reynneak scolded quietly.

“How else are we supposed to give this to her?” Zetai questioned.

“I’m not asleep,” Myr mumbled. She slowly got back up but let the blankets still be wrapped around her. “Did you get it..?”

Reynneak nodded and handed her a small bag. “We would’ve been a lot quicker, but there were a bunch of players around there.”

“I shoved them all out of the way,” Zetai said proudly. “Apparently someone else there could take over for Duuzlo so, once we got to him, it was fine.” She paused. “Relenri wasn’t at the counter, though, and I didn’t see Llewel. Where is he?”

“Tinath offered to bring him to a place where he might be able to see Casrane.” Myr took the amount of medicine she needed largely from memories of observing her brother. The rest of it she gently put beside her and told herself to remember to give it to him.

“Then what about Relenri?” Reynneak prompted. “I didn’t think innkeepers were supposed to leave the inns unintended for long.”

“She might’ve just gone to check something,” Myr replied. “I gave her something earlier so she’s probably finding the best place to put it. As far as I’m aware she hasn’t left the inn or anything.” Though a bit begrudging to admit it without having a good explanation of what it was herself, she added, “She wanted to talk to you two. A man came in earlier…”

That seemed to get a worried reaction out of both of them. They must’ve seen something in Nafrius that already allowed them to guess what it was.

“You stay in here until you’re feeling a bit better,” Zetai instructed. “We’ll go talk to Relenri and, when we’re all done, we’ll go hunt down Llewel.”

“I have a bad feeling if he’s on his own…” Reynneak muttered. Still, he was the first to leave, Zetai soon following him.

Myr, however, knew she definitely wasn’t going to be waiting for them. There was already something they were keeping about Casrane. She had a feeling that, whatever this was, it wasn’t something they were going to end up telling the twins. And somehow she knew that, if they got mad, it wouldn’t be for long; it was reasonable enough of her not to want to be kept in the dark.

Still, she lingered just by the staircase to listen to what they said.

“Oh, sorry for not seeing you come in. I was busy doing something in the back,” Relenri said.

“It’s fine, we don’t really mind,” Reynneak assured her. “Myr mentioned that you had something you wanted to tell us.”

“Right, it’s… about them.” A certain kind of fear crept into her words, her voice getting lower even if it seemed like they were the only three there. “Mr. Mair came. For one thing, they lost track of where Casrane was—they often keep an eye on her, to make sure she’s safe and all. Another… they’ve realized the twins are going out and causing ‘trouble’ again…”

“That’s what all those people were for?” Zetai sounded concerned now too, even if she was usually the one to shrug it off. “They’ve held off doing any of that for this long, why are they only starting now..?”

“They’re afraid of the whole thing going public,” Relenri explained. “If word gets out about them, then it becomes a lot harder to get rid of them. That’s not mentioning the fact of if the players end up liking them. Mr. Mair said it was better to deal with it as soon as possible before any complications arise.”

“Do we want to know what will happen to them if that happens..?”

“He said that the twins—and any NPC who would harbor or help them—would be permanently and assuredly erased from the game. As confusing as it is for him to say it, he implied he wouldn’t even hesitate to do it for Casrane… or, at the very least, she’s not going to go unpunished if they continue to be seen together.”

Zetai walked back towards the staircase. When she saw Myr, instead of implying the tone of the conversation, she asked, “Feeling better now?”

Myr nodded.

Reynneak wandered up beside Zetai. “We should figure out where Llewel is. It’s better if we’re all together. Did he mention anything about where he said he was going?”

“I don’t think Tinath told him that part,” Myr responded, shaking her head. “At least not before he talked to me about it.”

“You’re all in the same party, aren’t you? You should be able to see where he is on the map,” Relenri reminded them. “It should at least be able to give you a general idea of where he went.”

Reynneak opened up the map. “It says he’s somewhere further south. There’s an active quest down there called Heirloom Transportation.”

“We didn’t start that one,” Zetai remarked. “Is that what he’s doing with Tinath?”

“I believe that’s the one where the player helps Nezri,” Relenri recalled. “I don’t have the rewards memorized, but I’m sure I heard something about it unlocking a specific area.” She remembered something else and said slowly, “An area full of illusions that Casrane used to frequent…”

“Do you think they are going to try to look for her there?” Zetai asked.

“As far as I’ve heard, it’s been a while since she was last there, but it’s definitely possible.” Relenri nodded to the coat she made Myr wear earlier. “When I sent Myr out to get something for me, I made her wear that. It seemed to have done the job pretty well and there’s less of them now than there was earlier. I think I have another one somewhere that should work for Llewel when you find him.”

“They aren’t going to associate the two of us with the twins?” Reynneak questioned.

Zetai elbowed him. “That’s a good thing, why do you sound so surprised?”

“I mean, we haven’t really been apart from them since we met each other… and we all encountered Zuradu together…”

Relenri shook her head. “They haven’t quite figured that part out yet. Even if they did, they’ll have to be pretty desperate to start targeting players. When he came to talk to me about it, he didn’t mention at all other individuals that might be with them; only what they looked like and make sure they were also far away from Casrane.”

“I guess we’re pretty lucky that they’re still at the point that they care about what people think of them,” Zetai remarked. She then glanced at Myr and the coat, that alone giving all the instructions needed.

Myr put the coat back on while Relenri went to get another one.

“They’re technically items, so you should be able to put it in your Inventory,” Relenri mumbled. “Be safe out in the forest. You never know what kind of unsavory characters would be lurking around there.”

“You don’t have to worry about any of us,” Zetai assured her. “We’re a pretty capable bunch, if I do say so myself.”

“It should probably be noted that capable and smart aren’t really the same thing…” Reynneak mumbled.

She punched his shoulder.

“What? Should I not acknowledge you’re the same person who thought it was a good idea to try to go diving in a game that doesn’t even have a swimming mechanic?”

“I was twelve.”

“You’re now nineteen and, honestly, I don’t see the difference.”

Relenri smirked. “Well, I’m sure you’ve got it handled. By now you have a fair share of experience here. You’ve got to be some of the better parties I’ve seen… for this being your first time in Kyirius, anyway.”

Zetai wandered towards the door. “Great, now who’s ready to go find Llewel?”

“There’s one thing I should mention before we go…” Myr muttered. “I’m probably not going to be much help if we run into trouble. Llewel hasn’t taken off his necklace.”

“You’re sure about that?” Reynneak asked. “I mean, just because he had it when he left doesn’t mean he still has it on now…”

She nodded. “I’m sure of it. I’d know if he took it off. Besides, they mean too much to us…” The necklaces were, after all, one of the only things they’d always had—and, perhaps based on more recent discoveries, held some more understanding on who they were supposed to be.

“If you’re right, then you’re just going to be glass,” Zetai sighed. She glanced at her taller companion. “Rey, how much of a problem is that going to end up being if we come across enemies?”

“Already it’s going to be spawning mobs for three, maybe four if we’re unlucky and we’re close enough,” Reynneak remarked. “But we should be able to avoid the majority of them. Other than that, there’s nothing we can control and we’re just going to need to hope they don’t attack Myr.” He shrugged. “I guess that’s nothing worse than anything else we’ve done so far.”