Transcendence: Flesh and Chitin

Fiona awoke groggily, her mouth stale, as a thick strand of drool pooled onto her pillow. Rubbing at her face she sat up and let out a deep yawn. Blinking to clear the haze, she ran her hands along the unkempt sheets, making a mental note to actually make her bed sometime today. For a brief minute, she felt like herself. No thoughts of the tragedy unfolding within that game, no traumatic memories of her captivity, just a normal girl trying to reboot her brain after a much-needed nap. Fayne glanced over to the clock on her nightstand and the familiar red digits triggered the memories of the night she escaped, and her moment of calm was gone as the overwhelming stress of her situation came back to the front of her mind.

Instinctively she went for her phone and jumped to her notifications.

Transcendence interactive: A message from RangerDanger.Her thumb hovered over the screen as she opened it, after all that had gone on, she was hesitant to see what Ryan had to say.

RangerDanger 18:42: "Something big has happened, message me when you can"Fiona sat up a bit straighter, brows furrowed as she quickly typed out a reply.

Fayne 20:28: "What happened? Are you okay? Was it that monster?"

She knew she was obsessing and she hated everything about that, but this was the biggest thing happening in her life right now, and she had a chance to actually do something about it. Besides, as much of a mess as she was, her friend needed her, and even if the others didn't believe her, they needed her too. No one else was going to try and put a stop to this.

When Ryan didn't respond right away, she was tempted to jump into the game, but she knew once that happened she wasn't sure when she would be willing to leave. So despite everything telling her otherwise, she did what any responsible person would do, she procrastinated. She browsed through any and all notifications, searching her e-mail for something from the developers, even going so far as to consider making her own food, something that would have been more detrimental to her health than the constant stress of worrying about Ryan. An hour later, after showering and ordering food, Fayne checked her phone again. Nothing. The silence gnawed at her, a growing knot in her stomach. She opened her app to check RangerDanger's status, noting his account was still active in-game.

Time dilation in the game meant that what felt like days in the virtual world was only hours in reality. If Ranger was playing and not responding, something had to be wrong.After a pre-cautionary trip to the bathroom–she wasn't going to risk peeing herself if she got trapped again–and with great reluctance, she immersed herself into the capsule, and logged into transcendence.

The familiar sensation of logging into the game enveloped Fayne, her surroundings shifting from her dim apartment to the bustling streets of Ashvale. The warm glow of lanterns illuminated cobblestone streets as NPCs and players milled about. She barely took in the sights, her focus sharp as she scanned the area.

"Fayne!" a voice called out.She turned to see RangerDanger jogging toward her, his normally cocky demeanor replaced with an air of unease.

"Ryan," she started, her tone sharp. "What's going on? What happened? Why didn't you respond?!" she was clearly agitated, having been forced back into this traumatic hellscape.He stopped in front of her, his usual grin absent.

"It's bad, Fayne. Real bad."

Her stomach twisted. "Tell me everything.

"Ryan hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck before speaking. "My party... They went after that bug dungeon to save the sorceress. You know, the group from before?" He glanced away, guilt and frustration etched across his face. "Only two of them came back. The rest..."

"What about them?" she pressed, a chill creeping up her spine.

"They're still online, but none of them are responding. At all. No pings, no messages, nothing." He shifted uneasily. "I don't get it, they went in with twenty others, and now they're…" he hesitated to acknowledge what might have happened to them.

"I told you!" she begrudgingly countered, "I told you what happened to you and you didn't believe me, you didn't tell them of the risks, and now they are just like you were. They won't be back for a while, I don't know how you came back, but it took forever, and now they are gone!" the words spilling out of her, she had no control over her emotions, knowing that so many people were stuck, knowing that so many people were at risk of dying. It was only through a stroke of luck that either of them survived. If they had been stuck in the game much longer, they would have likely died in their pods.

She bit her lip, her mind racing. The implications were horrifying. They were trapped, unable to log out or respond, their remains still somewhere in that hive.

"I'm sorry I didn't respond, I just got so wrapped in in following leads and getting info; I needed to know what happened to them and kind of blocked out the rest of the world" Ranger reached out his hand to place it on Fayne's shoulder but was interrupted.

Without hesitation, Fayne grabbed his outstretched arm. "We need to stop anyone else from going there." and with that, she pulled him along with her as she made a mad dash to what she hoped would at least slow down the casualties the realm was facing.

The pair made their way to the town guard captain, Fayne passed through the massive doors of the guard house and into the main chambers while Ranger held back, not sharing the same resolve as his partner. She protested his actions, but he was still shaken at what had happened and she couldn't fault him for his trauma. Upon passing the gates, she requested an audience with the captain of the guard. She knew little of him, but every town had someone in charge of keeping the peace. Fayne marched up to him with no reservations and proclaimed, "Guard… Er, Captain, or Sir?" her confidence waning as she was unsure how to address the man.

The burly guard turned to her, his stern eyes narrowing. "What is it, adventurer?"

"There's a dungeon—a hive—in the forest. It's too dangerous," she began. "People who go there don't come back."Therik frowned, crossing his arms. "All adventurers are warned of risks when they venture into uncharted areas."

"This isn't just a risk!" Fayne snapped, her voice rising. "They're not just dying—they're... stuck. Their bodies are gone, but they're still logged in. No one can reach them."The captain's expression softened slightly as he studied her. "And what would you have me do? Close the area entirely? Ban adventurers from entering?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "At least until we figure out what's going on."Therik sighed, his gaze dropping to the parchment on his desk. "I can't make promises, but I'll alert my superiors. We'll look into the issue and if it is deemed necessary, we will issue a temporary warning to adventurers heading that way."

"It's not enough," Fayne muttered under her breath."It's the best I can do," he said flatly, dismissing her with a nod.The heavy doors of the guardhouse slammed shut behind Fayne as she stepped into the cool night air of Ashvale. Her frustration simmered just beneath the surface, her mind replaying the terse conversation with the town guard captain, Therik. His dismissive promises of "looking into the matter" had done little to ease her worry.RangerDanger waited a few paces away, leaning against a post with his arms crossed. He straightened as she approached, the unease on his face betraying his usual casual demeanor.

"Well?" he asked, pushing off the post. "Did they say they'd do anything?"Fayne shook her head, her jaw tightening. "They'll put out another warning at best. But it's not enough." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "People are going to keep walking into that hive like lambs to the slaughter."

Ryan's brows furrowed. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I need answers," Fayne snapped, turning to face him. "If no one else will stop this, then I'll go back to the one creature who might know how to fix it.

"His eyes widened. "You're not serious."

"Oh, I'm dead serious."

"You're talking about going back to him. The bug king. The thing that almost killed you, hell, it did kill me!" He stepped in front of her, his voice rising with each word. "What makes you think he'll even talk to you again, let alone help?"

Fayne crossed her arms, her gaze unwavering. "Because he let me go before. And because I don't have a choice."

Ryan laughed bitterly. "You always have a choice, Fayne. This? This is suicide. We can figure something out. Twenty people failed, but they did a shit ton of damage to the monster. We can bring thirty, forty people, players will want to defeat this boss, we don't need to go alone!"

"And what do you suggest I do, Ryan? Sit here and wait for someone else to fix this? While those people are trapped, just like you were?" Her voice cracked, the weight of her emotions spilling into her words. "The only people passing through here anymore are new players, brand new players, even if we brought fifty of them, it would just feed the hive. You might not even remember what you went through, but I do, you were gone for weeks in-game, don't you remember logging out and feeling so weak? We aren't putting any more through that"

Ryan opened his mouth to argue but stopped short, her words hitting harder than he wanted to admit. He looked away, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "You're insane," he muttered.

"Maybe," Fayne shot back, her tone hard. "But it's the only plan I've got."

They stood in tense silence for a moment before Ryan finally spoke again, his voice low and resigned. "If you're going back, I'm coming with you."

Fayne shook her head. "No, you're not."

"Like hell I'm not" he barked indignantly."Ryan, listen to me." She stepped closer, her voice soft but firm. "If something happens to me, someone needs to be here to stop others from going to that hive. You're the only one who knows what's really going on. You have to stay. Besides, he let me go once, I don't think he will take me against my will."

His jaw tightened, his frustration evident. "And what if you don't come back?"

Fayne hesitated, her heart heavy. "Then you'll have to figure out another way to fix this."The words hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken fears. Finally, Ryan sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "You're really doing this, aren't you?

"She nodded. "I have to."

Fayne reached out to Ranger and grasped his face in her hands, "I need you to actually listen this time," she made sure he was making direct eye contact and continued. "Find the survivors and get as much info as you can. Send me a message with what you've learned and then GO. TO. SLEEP!" she paused over each word to emphasize the importance. "I know you are concerned, but you are going to be useless if you don't rest and take care of your body. I can get a lot done here while you are gone, but I will need you when it's time to move".

Ranger stared dumbfounded, wanting to protest, but now that she mentioned it, he really was exhausted. "I won't log out until..."

"I get it," she interrupted. "As soon as I talk to him, I will message you to let you know I am safe, and then you will go to sleep for as long as it takes." She released her friend and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I doubt I'll be in here the entire time, maybe after day two I'll log out for a quick nap and then we can join back in together, but I need you to keep your word. I trust you Ryan, please." she pleaded, maintaining eye contact.

Ryan wanted to shirk away, but her eyes kept him in place, and demanded that he give her one less reason to stress.

"I understand. As soon as you message me, I will log out and get some rest. Please be safe Fiona" and with that, he begrudgingly set to his task as his friend prepared for her meeting with the king of bugs.

He let me go once, Fayne thought. Maybe he'll listen again.