Polynya

The look on Sophia’s face sours. “One of the founders of the Knights, um, got stuck in a Proxima world known as Cyber Noir – the second time he was stuck, I should add. Anyway, long story short, we used this technique to temporarily bring Quantum back to our world. He was in a humandroid’s body for several days.”

“Are you talking about Quantum Hughes?” FeeTwix asks. “Big fan over here! I’ve based my playing style off him and haven’t looked back!”

Sophia curls her lip for a moment. “We can speak more about Quantum later.”

“I hope so!”

Ryuk asks, “I get NPCs and RPCs being about to theoretically come … ”

“There is nothing theoretical about what I’ve just told you. Aiden actually came through to our world.”

“That’s right, and it was pretty kickass.”

“What I don’t get is why a Player Character would come,” Ryuk says.

“Because he was stuck, like I told you. It was quite a complicated situation, and I don’t believe any of you, especially the goblin, would be able to comprehend the details. But imagine a fully submerged person in a Proxima dive vat coming into a world such as Tritania, and from there, diving back to our world into a humandroid’s body. Of course, reverse diving, or R-diving, is much more complicated than that, but that’s the gist of how it works.”

“Craziness,” FeeTwix says.

“So I could go to your world?” Zaena asks FeeTwix.

Sophia shakes her head. “No, no, you couldn’t. No one can. I never told anyone how to do it and I plan to keep the secret to my grave because of situations like this.”

She approaches the Empress and they speak quietly for a moment. Once they’re finished, she turns back to the Mitherfickers.

“I need an hour or so to look into things in the world up there. I also don’t want any of you to go anywhere, just for safety purposes. I will see to it that you can’t log out until I’m back.”

“Nothing will happen to us up there,” FeeTwix assures her.

“What you four now possess is sensitive information. Once I’ve logged back in, your dashboard will be restored and you’ll be free to do what you’d like.”

“Fine by me,” Ryuk says, “but I need your word that we now have a direct line to the Knights.”

“You do. In fact, if it makes you feel any better, Aiden will keep you company.”

Hiccup throws his hands up in the air and fires off a message to Ryuk about extreme vetting and how the “balaclava boy” isn’t joining the guild.

(0)__(x)

Empress Thun stands, and as quickly as she appeared, she’s gone.

The room elongates, spins, and the Mitherfickers find themselves in a bedroom with six beds and a griffin tapestry on the wall.

The room is nearly the same size as the throne room, meaning it’s just about the biggest bedroom Ryuk has ever seen. Aside from the beds, there are tables, plush sofas around a fire, and a stack of board games in front of a floor-to-ceiling bookcase.

“He’s back!” Hiccup pumps his brass fist in the air. The goblin glares at Aiden. “So it was that Sophia of yours all along that cursed us goblins. What a fickin’ hater.”

“Call her what you like, but I wouldn’t do so to her face. I’ve seen her cast Skin Crawl on someone, and trust me, you don’t want to experience that.”

“Right, I’ll be a good little ficker when she’s around. Welp. Twixy, Liz, I mean Princess, Marbles, and um, ninja man.”

“If you must call me a nickname, ‘Morning Assassin’ will do.”

Aiden snaps his fingers and his medieval ninja getup is suddenly gone, replaced by a red Hugh Hefner Robe and a pair of fuzzy slippers. His hair is suddenly slicked back, and the look on his face is as wolfish as ever. “Feel free to get comfortable; we’re in the new wing of the Knights’ guildhall, FYI,” he tells Ryuk. “Just finished it actually. Me and the Brits and a few others took care of the construction.”

Ryuk recalls the six British members of the Knights.

When not farting around, fighting, fucking, or getting arrested – a feat in itself considering the Knights’ status on the continent – the UK crew generally hung out in a little castle they constructed for themselves in the courtyard outside.

Ryuk walks to one of the windows to confirm this; sure enough, the new wing of the Knights’ guildhall is on the top floor, and below, he can make out the Brits’ castle, a blacksmith’s shop, and a pen with a single sheep inside.

Ryuk has only been to this location once or twice, as it is the Knights’ headquarters, and from what he remembers Tamana telling him, it exists in the OMIB, not exactly accessible by just any member of the guild. His branch’s guildhall was in Porthos, near the piers.

It was much, much smaller than this.

“Shit, has it been an hour yet?” Hiccup yawns. “I’m already bored.” He pulls a healing portion out of his list and chugs it. “That’s right, let’s get comfortable.”