A fanfare sounded as the boss collapsed and the victory screen filled my monitor. Slumping back in my chair and speaking into my headset. “GG guys. Quest complete.”
Murmured thanks and congratulations come through as the loot is assigned. “There’s the portal,” I add.
“I’m logging off for the night,” ShadowStrike said. “Got work early tomorrow. Thanks for the raid, Tav.”
“No worries, man. Good night.”
“I’m heading to the next town over before I log,” HealingHeart said. “Got some dailies there I want to knock out tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” I replied. “I’ve got another destination in mind. Same Idea. Have a good night.”
I punched in the coordinates and set the auto-run, then glanced at the clock. 1:58 a.m. With a yawn and a stretch, I picked up my empty coffee mug and dropped it in the sink. I’d deal with it later.
When I reached for the mouse again, the room went dark.
“Power outage,” I muttered. After a moment, I sighed. “Might as well go to bed.”
Fumbling through the darkness of my bare dorm room as the rain pattered on my window from outside, I collapsed onto the mattress and let sleep take me.
Breathing. Calm-
A gasp tears out of me.
My chest locks up, my lungs burn as air rushes in too fast. The smells hit next-damp earth, rot, something sharp and resinous. Pine sap. Cold seeps through clothes that aren’t mine. For a moment I can’t tell where I end and the ground begins.
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My hands feel wrong.
There’s a high-pitched whine-no, insects. Wind in branches? Trees? Light punches through my eyelids, too bright, too green. I flinch as something cracks my arm.
Ow. Did I just-
Why did my arm move that fast?
WARNING! HOSTILE THREAT DETECTED!
The words flash across my vision.
What?-
Movement to my left. Low. Fast.
A wolf-no, too big. Too lean. It lunges.
I try to pull something up-Anything-and my vision explodes into noise.
Stats. Inventory. Spells. Abilities. Icons overlapping, text blurring together. I can’t focus-
Pain.
Teeth sink into my arm and the world goes white. “FUCK!” I scream, the sound ripped out of me without permission.
It hurts. It Hurts.
HP: 127/132
That can’t be right…
No time to think.
Something inside me snaps into place-habit, training, reflex I don't remember. Heat surges up from my core. Light. Pressure. Then fire.
The world erupts.
A concussive blast throws heat and sound as the world goes silent.
MP: 62/80
My ears ring. The smell of burnt hair and scorched earth fills my nose. Insects have gone quiet. My legs give out and I drop onto cool, soft ground, my breath stuttering as the adrenaline fades.
Breathe, I tell myself. In. Out.
“System,” I whisper.
A window snaps into existence at the center of my vision.
Status. Inventory. Friends List. Spells. Abilities. Map.
Too much.
“Close system!” I gasp.
It vanishes instantly.
I force my eyes open again. Charred ground. A tree split and blackened, branches still smoldering. The fire crackles weakly before dying out. Slowly-hesitantly-birds begin to sing again.
A word echoes in my mind.
Friends List?
“Stop. Breathe.” I swallow, then speak carefully. “Friends List.”
This time, only one screen appears.
----------------------------------------------
FateWeaver - Unreachable
UnbrokenAegis - Unreachable
Semere - Unreachable
HealingHeart - Active - Dawnreach
VoidWalker - Unreachable
MysticSong - Unreachable
ShadowStrike - Active - Brightwell
SunFire - Unreachable
SilentArrow - Unreachable
-----------------------------------------------
My heart slams in my ribs.
“HealingHeart,” I whisper. “She’s here?”
My gaze locks onto her name. I reach out and tap the air.
A second panel opens.
Message | Call | Exit
My hand shakes as I focus on the first option and mentally type out:
“HH, is that really you?”
