Sudden Hello

Faye’s instincts and memories faded from my mind. I felt a twinge of guilt for losing her life, but I was relieved to become myself again.

Ah, well, at least I’m free now. Hopefully this bug will sort itself out, and I’ll respawn in my own body…

“Tsk, tsk…Real shame, this one. Think the bod’s still good for sellin’?”

“Hmm… ah—eh, do you… see what I’m seein’?”

“Hah…?”

Huh…? Why do I still hear their voices…?

I opened my eyes to the sight of the dark forest still before me. Behind me, the thugs stood with eyes wide and mouths agape. The quieter thug shakily pointed in my direction.

“Sh-she…”

“A ghost? No, this… what is that thing?!”

Tch. No avatar, no respawn?! Guess I’m stuck like this for now. Haa… why’d this have to happen? I’d hate it if the others were all dealing with the same problem. I can’t even remember the name of the tech support AI.

“AV? AB…? Agh, I’ll never get it.”

“What now?… Hey, what do we do?”

“… These… things. Heard they haunt ya n eat yer soul. I’m thinkin’…”

The taller thug, shoes stained with Faye’s blood, turned on his heels and sprinted away without a second thought. The dagger in the second thug’s hand fell to the ground, his legs trembling as he backed away. He let out an irritating scream, tripping over his own two feet as he charged after his partner.

Okay… that went about as good as I think it could. Well, now that they’re gone, I can finally get back to my journey. Maybe this form will even make it easier.

I looked down at my pale, textureless hands that glowed with a soft light. The rest of my body seemed to be the same, almost exactly as it had been in Faye’s memories. The only missing thing was the glitches that had covered my unconscious body.

Just below me was the body I'd once been trapped in. Blood seeped out of the open wound on her neck, pooling beneath her head. Her face had a frozen expression of fear, tears drying at the edge of her bloodshot eyes. The sight sickened me, and I quickly looked away.

Bodies don’t cry when they die, right? She couldn’t have been… conscious, could she? That’s… haha, that’s impossible.

I bit the inside of my mouth as the urge to hurl rose in my throat, but the lack of organs in my body meant there’d be nothing to vomit.

Calm down, remember where you are. None of this is real.

After taking a moment to compose myself, I turned away from the body and focused on the distant flickering lights. My legs moved to walk, but the lack of sensation as they touched the ground creeped me out. I decided to instead hover slightly above the soil as I moved closer to my destination.

A large campsite came into view, with dozens of lit lamps spread throughout. The encampment was littered with tents big and small, and I could make out the shape of a larger one farther behind them.

The entrance to the encampment looked dark and unguarded, and I slowed down as I approached it. Before the dim lamplight could touch me, an arrow flew from the bushes and passed through my abdomen. I heard it strike the ground behind me, and the bush it came from rustled as a dark figure stepped out. Their body was covered nearly head to toe in dark cloth, eyes barely visible in the gap of their mask.

“Arrowhead coated in blessed oils—usually does the trick. If it didn’t work on you, then it’s safe to assume you’re something different altogether. What do you think, Finley?” He spoke with a deep, masculine voice that carried an air of defiance.

Something whisked through my body, and the space it passed through warped slightly before settling back into place. I turned to meet my assailant, a young slightly muscular woman with burgundy hair tied in bundles and feminine, deep brown eyes that narrowed behind her cloudy goggles. She jumped back and smiled confidently. The handaxe she swiped at me with was held out at her side, ready to swing again in a heartbeat.

“I think,” she declared as she raised her goggles, “that we’ve found the Queen’s honored guest.”

Finley swung her weapon arm upward to point at me. I moved back slightly on instinct, forgetting that my body was now non-corporeal. The man behind me circled around me to stand at Finley’s side, tightening his grip on his bow’s handle.

The Queen’s what now? First I’m a ghost, now I’m an ‘honored guest?’

“Listen, I’m not—“

“So it speaks! Guess it has to, seeing as how the letter said to ‘make friendly’ with it. What are you, then?”

I grimaced as the boisterous woman put her handaxe away and placed her hands on her hips. Her exaggerated movements emphasized the stiff composure of her companion. She smirked, waiting eagerly for my answer.

“Uh… human? Just not with a real body or anything. I mean, I do have one! I just… don’t really know where it is…”

Shut up, shut up, shut up! That guy looks confused and you’re only making it worse! How am I gonna ask for directions if I can’t even talk like a normal person…

Finley smiled awkwardly and elbowed her companion’s side. He cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“Look, we can’t stand around out here in the open. Anyone could see you from a mile away. We can’t hurt you and, from what we can tell, you can’t hurt us. So… how about you follow us and explain all the nonsensical details in a private location?”

Finally! Maybe they can guide me toward the light, or at least have some clue as to where my group is.

“Yes!… Uh, I mean, please lead the way. I’ll try my best to explain myself later.”

I have to remember where I am. This isn’t like home, and these aren’t like the people out there. Ooh, I’d almost forgotten what I was looking forward to here— immersive role-play!

Finley looked over at her companion, shrugging before leading the way into the encampment. I hovered behind her, the glare of her cheeky companion burning holes in the back of my head.

After stepping past the gate, Finley took a hard right turn and sneaked behind the tents. I crouched slightly and descended to a point where my feet barely touched the ground as I followed closely behind.

“Matthias, keep an eye out. I don’t want anyone to see the ghostie and make a scene.”

“Already on it.”

“Perfect.”

I glanced back at the man named Matthias, his eyes now clear in the dim light as they scanned our surroundings. His pale grayish eyes darted in my direction, and he furrowed his brow as he glared at me. I quickly whipped my head back around, staring fixedly at the back of Finley’s head.

I heard the crackling of a fire as we neared the large tent I’d spotted before. The dusty dark cloth extended above us, as tall as the cabin past the woods. A small distance before it was a decently sized bonfire, the orange and yellow flames dancing softly in the wind.

Finley rushed inside the tent and ushered us in. Matthias stood at the entrance while I found a spot inside the tent where I wouldn’t be visible to the outside. I looked around the tent, admiring all the little details in each furnishing. Weapon racks, a large table covered in assorted papers, wooden chairs and lit table lamps made the tent feel well-lived in.

Matthias stepped into the tent, closing the flaps behind him. He removed his mask, revealing his triangular jaw and short, messy black hair that stuck out in awkward places. He patted it down and brushed past me. I could tell that he wanted to hit my shoulder as he passed, but I didn’t have a real body to hit.

I’d be insulted, but it was kinda funny to watch.

These two… Finley and Matthias. Their designs and personalities tell me they have to be pretty important characters. Once I find my body, I definitely have to come back here and see what adventures they can offer! That is, if I don’t get logged out first. Yeesh… What have I gotten myself into?

Finley picked up a letter from the table and turned back to me with an eager smile. The letter stayed clutched tightly in her gloved hands.

“Now then, ghostie. First order of business— what do we call you?”

“Oh— uh, I’m Fa— I mean… You can call me Velda. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Faye… even though she’s gone, I feel like a part of her stayed with me. Even if she was never real, her memories and emotions made it seem that way. I can’t lose sight of my goal… but I’m also starting to feel like I’m part of this world.

A splitting pain cut through my head, like an unbearable headache. My entire body burned, as if I was being electrocuted. I keeled over and clutched my head, dead pixels flooding my vision. I heard Finley call out to me, and I tried my best not to scream.

It hurts… but I don’t want to cause a panic here. I need… I need answers. This pain… Why?