A few minutes later, "Rest," I announced, dropping onto a pile of shattered mirror-glass like it was a designer sofa.
"Nobody moves. If a monster comes out now, I'm just going to ask it to wait five minutes while I finish my breakdown."
We set up our tenth, yes, tenth—camp in the middle of this creepy, fractured forest. The vibes were immaculate if you like the 'end of the world' aesthetic.
Broken glass everywhere, crystalline trees that whispered your deepest insecurities when the wind blew, and the ever-present smell of ozone and ozone-charred wraith.
Joff was, predictably, being Joff. He was frantically polishing his mana gun with a silk handkerchief while muttering about "hazardous work environments" and "unionizing the librarians."
"Joff, honey, stop," I said, leaning my head back against Raya's leg. "Make the coffee. If I don't get caffeine in my system, I might accidentally use that new Heartstone as a projectile."
