The text steadied enough for Rama to read it properly a few seconds after the tremor passed, the column still settling their spooked horses around him while he stood frozen, eyes fixed on words only he could see.
`[Quest Chain Updated: The First Ember]`
`[New Entry Detected: Second Anchor]`
`[Status: Corrupted, Awake, Hostile]`
`[Relationship to First Anchor: Unknown, Possibly Adversarial]`
`[Proximity: Immediate]`
"Rama." Sekar's hand found his arm, steadying him more than the words on the interface ever could. "What is it. You've gone the color of old ash."
He read it to her twice, slowly, making sure he had every word right before he committed it to her memory as well as his own. Sekar's face went through a rapid, familiar sequence, shock giving way almost immediately to the sharp, hungry focus she brought to any problem that finally handed her real data to work with.
