Sudden Goodbye

I sat in bed with my arms wrapped around my legs. Head rested on my knees, I watched as a lone beetle traveled across the wooden floor. The memories that haunted my sleep began to flood my mind.

That pillar of light… the gray glitched figure lying on the floor… These are Faye’s memories. Faye, whose body I’m trapped in.

I outstretched my hands, admiring the detailed lines across my palms.

This body must be an NPC’s, which means that I somehow spawned in separate from my avatar. I wish I could remember what they’d said about tech support… This bug is really killing the immersion.

I stood on the bed, peering through the small window to view the moon. Its beautiful white glow and every crater was perfectly recreated.

I have to admit, if I’d forgotten this was a game I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Maybe… waking up here wasn’t so bad.

I quietly climbed down and tiptoed to the door. I slowly pushed it open and stuck my head out. The dark room was illuminated by rays of moonlight filtered through gaps in the cabin walls. A soft snoring echoed from a nearby door.

Good, there’s no one here. Now that I think about it, if these NPCs sleep, do they have dreams?

What am I thinking? That’s nowhere near important right now.

As I placed my hand on the cold cabin door handle, a dark feeling overtook me. I began to feel deathly afraid, as if my next move would kill me.

Faye’s… emotions? These NPCs are incredible! I hope the developers give us a bit of insider info on how the AI works.

Ah, but that’s not important right now. Faye’s emotions are telling me to stay put. I would love to, really, but there’s a group of real people out there. I wonder if they’re looking for me?

Did they even report my disappearance?

I let go of the door handle in panic. I tried to comb through Faye’s memories for any evidence that the others would be looking for me.

After absorbing my consciousness, Faye stayed in control. Going through her day-to-day life, she acted as if she’d never found me. Travelers came and passed, but none ever made any noticeable comments. A few months later, her mind began to disorient.

Memories of lying in bed for hours— too dizzy to get up— flashed before my eyes. A final memory of Faye staring at the ceiling as her vision filled with broken pixels and her body tensed with unbearable fear played in my mind.

Poor girl. If this were reality, I’d never forgive myself…

I shook my head and regained control of my emotions. I ignored Faye’s influences and forced my shoulder to push against the door. It swung open almost violently, and a bitter cold gust of wind hit my face, forcing me to turn away.

I slowly walked into the forest ahead, using Faye’s memories to guide me toward the place she’d seen the light. The trees swayed, and the rustling of leaves created a sound like the falling of sand.

The colors of the forest were dimmed in the dark, but the world looked perfectly indistinguishable from the one in reality. I tried to remember when I last saw the stars, but it was difficult to tell the difference between Faye’s memories and my own.

I looked up to see a small, dim light stretching up from below. What had once been the large pillar I’d seen in Faye’s memories was now more like a needle.

If my assumption is right, that light is where the others spawned in. Unfortunately, if those memories are anything to go by, it’ll have been months since then. The light isn’t endless anymore, either…

Queasiness set in as I realized an unpleasant impossibility. I racked my brains to remember anything mentioning the length of time we’d be staying here.

T-There’s no way that much time has passed! The beta application never mentioned this! Can the human body even handle it?

Lost in thought, I failed to notice the sounds of snapping twigs and whispering voices. I whipped my head around as a wooden club collided with it. My body twisted as I hit the ground, and my arms shook as I pushed myself up.

Grass crunched under my assailant’s footsteps as they neared. A hand grabbed my hair and tugged it roughly, pulling my head up to meet their now lowered head.

“Look ’it this, a fair litt’l lady strolling all ‘lone in the dark wood. How many pieces ya’ thinkin’?”

“A hundred, no doubt. A pretty face like that’ll be sure to make us rich.”

I looked over the body of my attacker. The only weapon on his person was the large club held in his right hand. I cursed myself for neglecting to grab a weapon before setting out on my journey.

“What’s wrong litt’l un? This the part where the litt’l ladies scream for help.”

I glared at the man tightly gripping my hair, struggling to find a way out of the situation. I heard footsteps behind me and steeled myself for a fight.

No weapon, no problem. This is only a game. If I can’t fight low-level enemies with my bare fists, how can I hope to get by in the full release?

I took a deep breath as the approaching enemy’s footsteps grew closer. I clutched the ground and quickly jerked my head downward. A sharp, stinging pain burned at the back of my head as strands of hair snapped in my attacker’s hand.

Sorry, Faye, but keeping your body safe is not nearly as important as getting away from this.

The taller thug’s club grazed against my neck before striking the ground as I rolled away from him. I quickly pushed the ground, springing upward and drawing out my fists as soon as my feet touched the ground. The second shorter thug pulled out a large jagged dagger and threateningly cut at the air.

A club swung down at my left side— my head barely jerked away from it. My right fist connected with the thug’s face as the dagger sliced my shoulder. The pain was more than anything I’d ever felt before, and it took a second to refocus.

The club-wielding thug yelled as his weapon collided with my spine. I yelped as my body flung forward and smacked violently against the ground. A nail on my finger bent as I scrambled to my feet. Blood leaked from my arm as the gusting winds whipped past. The realism of the anguish both scared and astonished me.

My feet began to ache and burn as I sprinted farther into the night. Loud yelling told me that my assailants weren’t far behind. I put pressure on my shoulder in an attempt to stop the bleeding as I sped between the trees.

I can’t believe I forgot— this body isn’t built for a fight! Random NPCs like her don’t usually make it past a few hits. Even if this game is perfectly realistic, a weak body like Faye’s won’t last.

The light in the sky seemed nonexistent now, as only an endless stretch of dark greenery filled my view. My left ankle rolled as it hit a hard object on the ground, leaving me with a limp. I began to slow down as the pain of my wounds pulsed throughout my body.

Distant flickering lights faded into view, signaling the presence of a town or camp. Relief flooded my body, then quickly faded as the sound of an object hurtling through the air invaded my ears. A dull ache spread from the back of my head as I found myself once again face-to-face with the dirt.

Ringing filled my ears as a rough hand gripped my hair. The taller thug met my eyes as he pulled my head up. My right hand swept at his face in an attempt to claw at his eyes. His head tilted back before his knee struck my abdomen, knocking the air out of me.

“Ack—!”

My arms moved to cover my stomach, the blood on my left hand staining my abdomen. The other thug approached eagerly, his thumb rubbing against the dagger's blade.

“Tsk, tsk. She’s scuffed up real bad now… waddaya think?”

Grk—!

“Worthless.”

Hot liquid spilled from my neck, and my arms went limp as the heat faded from my body. My eyelids fell as an electric shock zapped my brain. A familiar floating feeling set in, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.