Page 157 of Mud

I was right.

Same buildings, same asphalt, same dim white lights, and more of the same residents, dancing and drinking—but they weren’t laughing as much as they did in the beginning. Now, the few of them who saw me passing by looked terrified of me.

I wondered if more had died at the hands of desperate players who needed to find the key to get out of this challenge. I wondered how many of them would lose their lives to this absurdity still.

While I walked, I thought about what Taland said regarding the IDD. I thought about whatIknew of the IDD. I thought about the Iris Roe, how many people died in it and that still somehow seemed reasonable to the people—and that’s not counting the death of the residents at all. Did they even make these numbers public?

Now more than ever, I wished I’d cared to read more about this game.

The sound of laughter took me out of my trance—just now I was thinking how the people no longer even seemed to be chatting. But there was a bar on the other side of the street with both doors open, and music I recognized was busting through the speakers while people laughed.

Elves and orcs—and Iridians. Iridian players were sitting inside, drinking.

I did a double take. That couldn’t be, could it? The residents knew what we were capable of—that we could kill them and use their bodies to call forth the keys. So why were they allowing all those players—at least seven that I could see through the open doors—to sit and drink with them?

Unless…they had no other choice.

Or maybe the players had found coins like mine to pay with? Because I was half convinced to go back to Erfes for more at this point, having no clue when that hailstorm would be ready—if ever.

Slowly, I went closer to the bar, sticking to the shadows, pretending to be casual when other residents in the street looked my way. The more of the bar I saw, the more I was convinced that something was wrong—nineplayers of all covens sat around three tables, surrounded by residents, drinking and laughing while human pop music played louder than all others in the street.

It made no sense at all. Players were killing the residents—everybody knew. Why would they allow them inside and party with them?

“Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe in there.”

The voice came from somewhere to my left, and it was far enough away that I didn’t jump at the sound of it. Iturned just in time to see a man stepping away from the shadows, his eyes wide and bright, his smile crooked. It was the Whitefire guy I’d seen in the Tree of Abundance with the horned rabbit, the one who’d spoken to me here in Night City as well in the beginning.

“No place is safe in the Roe,” I said, stepping to the side to let him through.

But he stopped right in front of me instead, an easy smile on his handsome face, his eyes a pale blue that looked like spheres filled with water. He didn’t look as miserable as when we first started the challenge. His stubble had grown a little, just there, and his dark blond hair was all over the place, but it suited him. Easily in thehot as hellcategory.

“That’s true,” the guy said with a nod. “Except I made a deal with the orc who owns this place.” He pointed his thumb back to the bar. “We’re free to spend time in here and even drink on the house so long as none of the players harm him or his for the duration of this loop. This is as safe as it can be in Night City.”

Yep, he’d definitely gotten his shit together since they took our familiars from us.

I squinted my eyes at him. “And how are you going to make sure that all players respect a dealyoumade?” Had he not been here all this time? These people would sell their own mother for the key—or even a dead body.

The grin he flashed me sent shivers down my spine. “Let’s just say I made an example out of a murdering bastard a little while ago.” He nodded at the bar again. “Not to mention nobody wants to pick a fight with ten Iridians, especially since most players are on their own.” He was right about that. “Ben Kovak.” And he reached out his hand for mine.

Damn. It almost shocked me that he was so…friendly. That he was smiling at me, actually offering me his hand to shake. He’d asked me if I was okay the last time I saw him, too.

And I realized how quickly I’d forgotten what it was like in the real world, that people didn’t go around killing other people all the time, that you didn’t have to fear for your life with every step you took.

Yes,shockedwas the right word, but I shook Ben’s hand anyway.

“Rora La Rouge,” I said with a nod. “Nice to meet you.” And it really was—niceto meet someone who wasn’t trying to kill me.

Or was he?

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, too. I saw you in Greenfire and in the beginning. I’ve been hoping to see you again since,” he said. “May I buy you a drink?”

His smile seemed genuine. I was always good at reading people, and my instincts were calm around him. I was at ease—and it helped that he was so easy on the eyes.

“Why not,” I found myself saying, maybe because I didn’t want to be on my own until that storm was ready.

Maybe I didn’t want to be on my own until Taland came around from wherever he was and found me.

I just…didn’t want to be on my own.

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