“What now?” I whine as we fast-travel to Osephis.

A few minutes ago, we received a call from an outpost about a brute on the loose in the marketplace. Typically, low-level guilds handle requests of this nature or the sleazy ones trying to improve their popularity. But this call came to us directly, I assume, after none of the other guilds could take the beast down.

As we march through the bioluminescent streets of Osephis, I can feel the gas building up in my gut. It’s my punishment for not stopping to eat anything for God knows how long. The anxiety doesn’t help, either.

Shaking off the hunger pains, I refocus on the task at hand. The screams of townsfolk and players echo off the buildings around us before we even arrive on the scene. Fear replaces the hunger in my stomach as I round the corner and see the monstrosity for the first time.

“What the actual fuck is that?” Ironbelly, our resident goofball, shouts above the din of hysteria.

The huge brute towers over us, nearly as tall as the surrounding buildings. Strange markings circle its head like a crown. It crashes through the marketplace, crushing food and clothing stalls with its ginormous feet. I hesitate, looking it over and wondering how we could possibly take it down. Only five of us were online when the call came through. We’re tough but not miracle workers.

For a moment, I think about just leaving and coming back when more of us are on, but then I see the terrified faces of the townsfolk. They may be NPCs, but Scribe’s Legacy has been around for almost six years now, so they each have a rich history. The devs built the game to feel as real as possible. NPCs can very much die, possibly leaving wives and children behind to fend for themselves. I could almost laugh at the absurdity of caring about the lives of strings of code, but there’s no time for that.

“Bell, distract it!” I shout, breaking through his panic.

He shoots me a look of disbelief before refocusing on the beast. “And what exactly do you want me to do against that?!”

“I don’t know... Pull out one of your weird collectibles or something!”

I use my psionic scan to locate the brute’s weaknesses. It has thick metal plating covering most of its body, but there are openings at its neck and joints. Brutes aren’t known for their intelligence, so I may also be able to stun it with a psionic blast.

“Alrighty then, off to death I go. And they’re rare cooking equipment!” Bell shouts, shaking his head as he dashes forward with his Rusty Spork of Destiny and smashes it against the side of the nearest stall. Exotic fruits shoot through the air like fireworks and spill from various bowls and baskets.

“My melons!” cries the exotic fruit merchant, his hand clutching his head in dismay. The brute turns and looks at us, and the stall owner drops his hands and runs as it charges our way.

“Sorry! I promise, had I known, I would’ve gone for a different stall!” Bell shouts after the merchant. “Those melons looked so good too...”

“Focus! Go for its neck and joints!” I shout to my guildmates as I dash toward the beast head-on. Crossing my arms in front of my face, I charge up and send a psionic blast toward its head. It staggers for a moment, confused, but recovers quickly.

“Shit,” I mutter as I restrategize. Sliding under it, I get behind it, spin around, and send one of my swords flying toward the back of its knee. The plasma blade finds its target, sliding into the brute like a needle. Its leg gives out, and it loses balance, roaring in pain. “Now!”

Kaito, an elven expert with the bow and arrow, dashes forward and peppers the brute with explosive arrows, while Frosty, the ice queen, sends shards of poison-laced ice shooting into its joints. Their attacks seem mere annoyances as the beast stands and charges toward them furiously. Frosty quickly erects a frozen prison around it, but cracks start to form immediately. The rumble of ice shattering sends a quake through the marketplace.

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“Outta the way!” yells Groth, our Goliath blacksmith, as he barrels toward it with his massive battle ax at the ready. Leaping into the air, he slices deep into the brute’s neck, causing black blood to rain down over the marketplace.

The beast’s growls sound more like gurgles, but it still doesn’t go down. Instead, it stumbles toward Groth with its massive fist outstretched, but before it can reach him, Frosty shoots a massive poisoned ice shard straight down its throat and through the back of the head. Its expression goes from confused to empty as it gags on the ice and crashes deafeningly to the ground.

An eerie silence takes the place of the digital pandemonium, and I suddenly become aware I’ve been holding my breath. I inhale deeply but end up coughing, the smell of blood and burning buildings overpowering my senses. Bell rushes over to me, patting my back. But before he can ask if I’m alright, cheers erupt in the marketplace around us. Other players and NPCs came out of hiding to show their appreciation.

Not wanting to appear weak, I throw my fist up, basking in the praise. Bell laughs and shakes his head as he follows suit, raising his fist high. Kaito and Groth take up positions beside us, joining our celebration, but Frosty stands over the brute, running her finger over the strange markings around its head. I leave the boys to their shouting and go stand beside her.

“What do you make of it?” I ask, nodding toward the beast.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen one this big before or symbols like this. Maybe some kind of ancient magic.”

I bite my tongue, resisting the urge to say, “That’s what she said.” Now isn’t the time, and Frosty isn’t the type. “Alright, take some screenshots, and we can do some recon later. I need a break.”

“Sure thing, boss,” she says in that condescending tone of hers, and I turn on my heel, rolling my eyes as I retrieve my sword from the back of the brute's knee.

Just as I reach Bell to let him know I’m logging off, my stomach lets out a loud growl. I chuckle awkwardly, hoping no one heard it, but of course, he did. He always seems to catch my most embarrassing moments.

“What?!” I screech defensively when he shoots me a glare.

“You know what, Rose! Take a break.” His glare turns to a grin as he rolls his eyes. “Y’know, you probably would’ve starved by now if it weren’t for me.”

“I was literally coming over here to tell you I’m logging off for a bit, and I’m pretty sure I would be just fine,” I say, flicking his nose.

“Ow, I have full immersion enabled!”

“No other way to play,” I giggle as I scurry away. He chases me, and we roughhouse for a moment before he begs for mercy as usual. “Alright, hit me up if any more hell beasts spawn.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” he says with a quick salute. I grin and shake my head as I remove the VR headset.

🌹 📖 🎶

Reality comes crashing back around me. Looking down at my phone, I see three missed calls from Maya and a notification about another missed food delivery. Glancing at my front door security camera, I can clearly see there’s no food there. I’m sure my neighbor down the hall, who keeps stealing my abandoned deliveries, was happy for a free lunch.

I roll my eyes and pull up Nomable. As I peruse the menus, I wait for something to call out to me. Eventually, I choose a spicy tuna roll and a steaming bowl of ramen, picturing the satisfying crunch of the crispy pork belly. Yum.

Just as I confirm the order, my phone screen lights up again. “What now?” I groan as I pick it up. There’s an incoming holo call from Bell. I hit answer, and his goofy grin pops out of my screen.

“Hey, Rose, I meant to tell you about this earlier. There’s a new sheriff in Scribe’s Legacy, and his name is Somnus. He’s literally shot up the ranks outta nowhere in the last few weeks. Might be some fresh competition for ya!”

New faces are a dime a dozen in SL, but someone rising so quickly definitely warrants my attention. Because the game has been around so long, it’s rare that anyone does anything of note these days. All the dragons have pretty much already been slain. But maybe something is changing in Xylia...

“Hmmm... Thanks, Bell. I’ll check him out later. Could be a good recruit for the guild.”

“Yeah. Alright, that’s all I wanted. Catch you later.”

“Later.” I end the call and head for the bathroom. Just before I reach it, I get an order confirmation from Nomable, and my stomach growls in anticipation. As I strip off my stale, sweaty clothes, I almost don’t recognize myself in the mirror. Dark circles line my under eyes, and my ribs seem way more visible than ever. I really need to start taking better care of myself.

Sighing, I step under the warm water and let it wash away my anxiety. The smell of blood and carnage from the battle earlier is replaced by the comforting scent of lavender body wash. I feel like I could stand there for hours, but my stomach reminds me how hungry I am, so I wrap things up quickly.

As I dry off and lotion down, a conundrum eats away at my VR-addled mind. Do I call Maya back and find out what the emergency is, or do I log back into SL to investigate this new player, Somnus? As I weigh the pros and cons of each choice, I get a delivery notification from Nomable. At least I won’t be hungry while I decide.