NPC/Player [3]

"Ah, about this..." Amos looked awkwardly at Faye, and then his brother, but saw he had no intentions of speaking, so he continued to say, "the answers to your questions are a little complicated, and what we know is limited. Most of what we do know was taught to us by the Leader. If you want to know more, you might have to ask them."

Then his eyes lit up as if he had thought of a good idea. Excitedly leaning forward, he said, "why don't you come with us to meet the Leader? It'll allow you to get the answers you want, and you can meet players in the same situation as us." Before he could blurt out anything else, Kei held him back and shook his head.

Seeing his brother's stern face, Amos wasn't deterred and asked, "what's wrong with taking her there? She can't get past the barrier without someone who knows the counterspell. Plus, she knows Amara, meaning she's someone we can trust. Also, we don't know enough to give her the information she wants, so taking her there would help."

Kei considered his words and then agreed a few moments later. First, from what he could see about Faye so far, was that she had just become a player and only wanted to know what was going on. If she wanted to harm them, she would have tried something by now.

Besides that, they had been told by Amara what had happened in Reiftan, and that Faye was hiding from the Main Computer - so there was little chance that Faye would draw the Main Computer here, otherwise, she would be caught and taken away by it.

Taking her to the hideout would be of great benefit to her, and it had been a long time since they had met a player who used to be an NPC. Plus, more people meant that there was a greater chance of taking down the Main Computer, even if it meant risking the game being shut down for good.

With nothing to discuss, and nothing else to do, Amos and Kei stood up and, seeing that Faye wasn't injured from the recent incident, apart from a slight headache, they exited the house. Then led her to a hidden teleportation array.

Amara's house was at the end of the pier and was backed by palm trees that hid a magical circle on the sand-covered ground. The light coming from this circle was weaker than all the other teleportation arrays and had been forgotten by everyone, bar those who knew where to locate it. Making it a perfect spot for the NPC-turned players to travel between the two places while going undetected.

It's how they had been getting around the whole time, and could visit Amara's home when needed. Since the start she had been helping them to hide from the Main Computer's sight, taking care of any injuries that needed treating, and even something as simple as letting them rest in her home. Over time, she had earned a reputation among the players, and that was why Jarreth knew that Faye would be safe with her.

Feeling the pull in her stomach from using the array, Faye's breathing slowed down, and closing her eyes, she focused on calming her mind. Soon she would get answers to the questions plaguing her mind since she had become a sapient NPC.

☽

Leaving the array, Faye steadied her feet and looked at the surrounding area. It was impossible to get used to being broken down into particles in the array and then being put back together again when reaching the chosen destination: it was unpleasant and left one feeling nauseous. And after the waves in her stomach settled down, Faye could see where they were.

The bookshop and the apartment behind it were the only places that Faye had seen for the longest time and had travelled nowhere in the game map since awakening. She had been unconscious when Jarreth took her to Silverport, and when she woke up, she was confined to Amara's house. So this was the first time she could see a whole new place to what she was used to: it was just too bad that she couldn't do any sightseeing because of the current circumstances.

From a signboard, she learned the name of the town Bleakacre. Darkened skies and greyish hues coating the buildings and streets were inconspicuous and gloomy - matching its name. If you wanted to hide out and never be found, this would be the place to go to. Not even the Main Computer would want to spend time here. That was why the Leader had chosen this place.

Amos, the most talkative out of the two brothers, told Faye everything there was to know about the town and the Leader. Her name was Ilaria and had been one of the first ones to awaken their consciousness, and had helped countless players return to normalcy.

Ilaria travelled the game map to find the perfect place to settle down and stumbled upon this town. It was bleak, boring and a solemn air emanated from the NPCs who inhabited the town: the NPC-Players would go unnoticed in a place such as this, and that's what made it so perfect.

The Leader took over an abandoned inn and welcomed all the wanderers who had nowhere else to go. Then she gave them work so they could earn some gold, helped them with tasks and helped them outside of the game. And that was who greeted them when they arrived at the inn.

Amos fluttered around Ilaria and the two people with him stood to the side and grew tired just watching him. Kei and Faye came to an understanding in that moment and seemed to form a connection only two quiet people could do. And Faye thought that Amos and Jarreth would make great friends if they were to ever meet.

Ilaria smiled at Amos' antics and quietened him down, then led them all into the sitting room behind the bar. Only staff and important persons were permitted to enter the room, so they didn't have to worry about being overheard. Ilaria was tall with short, dark hair and eyes that held wisdom and a calm that would put anyone at ease by just looking in them.

She was a kind woman who loved to help anyone when and where she could, and this time wasn't an exception. Happily greeting Faye, she sat her down on the lone sofa that was placed next to a large bookcase and offered her some tea.

It hadn't been that long since Faye had been in the bookshop that was filled with her favourite things - books and tea - and seeing these things made her a little teary. Who knew how long it would be before she could go back there again?

At this moment, all she wanted to do was curl up on the seat by the window and read. Things had been so simple then, but now it all felt so overwhelming.

Seeing her teary expression, Ilaria handed her a handkerchief and comforted her. "Oh dear, it's been hard on you, hasn't it? Take your time and tell me about it when you're ready." Ilaria patted her hand and waited patiently for Faye to calm down. "And don't worry, we'll do our best to help you. After all, we've all been in the same situation and can understand what you're going through."

"Don't worry, you're safe here."