The jaundiced bioluminescence died down to a sickly amber. The freezing ambient temperature of the flooded bunker bit directly into Will's bare skin. A heavy, localized ache throbbed deep in his densified skeleton.
The raw adrenaline from the night before was completely gone. Will sat rigidly on the edge of the mattress. Zeraya stood on the far side of the room. A massive, suffocating silence filled the space between them.
She aggressively strapped her rusted Tutorial sword back onto her hip. She did not look at him. Will stared intently at the cracked floorboards. They fell into a frantic, terrified routine of checking their gear to avoid speaking.
A jagged red notification burned directly into Will's left retina.
[Sovereign Upkeep Required: 5,000 Raw Mana. Penalty: Territory Degradation.]
