Fayne lay quietly in her VR capsule, physically awake but mentally processing everything she had just experienced. The headset over her eyes left her vision black, but she took the time to ground herself, breathing in the familiar scent of her apartment, feeling the soft padding beneath her fingers, and listening to the muffled sounds of the bustling city outside. She didn’t know how long she stayed like that, but when the torrent of thoughts finally settled into a dull roar, she propped herself up and raised her hands to the headset, running her fingers along its smooth contours.

Closing her eyes tightly, she lifted the device off her head and set it beside her. Slowly, she cracked open one eye, then the other, taking in her surroundings piece by piece. Her shabby decor came into focus: the cracked blinds filtering in a faint neon glow from outside, the pile of unfolded laundry on the couch, and the coffee table with an empty cereal bowl and half a cup of coffee. Everything was just as she left it. Resting her arms on the edges of the capsule, she fought with the thought that she had actually made it out of that game.

Dragging herself out of the capsule, Fayne wobbled on shaky legs, each step toward the kitchen a fight against the hunger clawing at her insides. She rounded the corner. The soft hum of the fridge was a comforting sound she hadn't realized she missed, as memories of tearing, clicking, and skittering flooded through her mind. Glancing over at the glowing red digits on her stove’s clock, it read 4:00. There was no AM or PM indicator, but the darkness outside told her it was early morning.

She leaned against the counter, her voice breaking the silence. “If it’s four in the morning, and I started after breakfast...” She paused, running the numbers. “Eighteen hours. That’s... six days in-game.” Her stomach twisted either from hunger or the physical effect of the realization, “I was trapped with that thing for six days!?”

Her voice rose into a scream before a neighbor pounded on the wall, shouting something unintelligible. Fayne winced, swallowing her frustration, and steadied herself with both hands against the counter. The outburst left her throat dry, reminding her of how thirsty she was.

Grabbing a glass of water, she was tempted to down it in one go, but once the cold liquid hit her tongue she took extra time to cherish the sensation. Food, however, was a different story. She grabbed whatever snack she could scavenge from the kitchen and scarfed it down before her body reminded her of another need. After a quick stop to the bathroom, she navigated to her room and sat down at her desk, booting up her PC and desperately hoping to find some answers online..

First things first, she typed out an email laden with expletives to the customer service team at Convergence Interactive, detailing her ordeal with as much restraint as she could muster. Once it was sent, she fired off a short, frustrated message to Ryan, also known as RangerDanger, asking about what happened, why he didn’t come back for her, and if he was okay.

Afterward, she scoured the internet, searching for stories or threads from other players who might’ve experienced something similar. But the results were empty. No one else seemed to have been trapped like she was. No one else had been made to suffer quite like she did. Though, a chilling thought hit her like a blizzard, “What if other players are still trapped?”

Wracking her brain, she thought back to her time with the monster and recalled a reference to the Vescarid. Plugging that into a quick search she was able to pull up the wiki for Transcendence Online.

“Let’s see what we are working with…”

The Vescarids are a highly organized insectoid species that thrive on their instinctual drive to build, expand, and maintain vast hive systems. These creatures function as a swarm species, with their population centered around a single hive structure that serves as both their home and the seat of their queen. Vescarids are known for their rapid reproduction and ability to establish dominance in their environment, often overwhelming ecosystems with their sheer numbers if left unchecked.

The species is characterized by its eusocial structure, where individuals serve highly specialized roles within the hive. These roles are fulfilled by different types of Vescarid spawn, which are tailored to address specific needs. Worker Vescarids maintain the hive and forage for resources, while soldier variants protect the hive from external threats. Other specialized types may serve purposes such as nurturing larvae, cultivating food sources, or scouting for new territory. This division of labor allows Vescarid hives to operate with near-perfect efficiency, capable of adapting their internal organization to meet the demands of their environment.

Vescarids communicate primarily through vibrations and pheromones, allowing for seamless coordination within the swarm. This method of communication enables them to act as a cohesive unit, whether defending their hive, expanding their territory, or responding to threats.

Though Vescarids are most commonly associated with their hive-based existence, their adaptability and social cohesion make them a force to be reckoned with, capable of overwhelming even well-prepared defenses.

With a sigh she skimmed through the rest of the article, looking for keywords like ‘hybrid’, ‘telepathy’, 'king', but nothing was coming up. They seemed for all intents and purposes, a typical bug monster. They were likely introduced for world events, or maybe dungeon dives? Fayne thought to herself but wasn't certain, just filled with a new sense of defeat.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Finally, Fayne shut down her computer and sank into the couch, too drained to do much else. Her eyes flicked to her phone on the coffee table. It was an older model, and it wasn’t as though she couldn’t afford the new tech, but she was barely willing to get the VR capsule, let alone implant anything else in her head. She reached over and picked it up, figuring maybe Ryan tried calling her.

“Of course it’s dead,” she muttered. With a sigh, she plugged it in and set it back down. The apartment was quiet now, the city noise distant.

She stared blankly into the dim room, frustration weighing on her, forcing her deep into the couch cushions. Eventually, her overstressed body gave in, and she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Fayne awoke groggy, but more rested than she had been since… Well, since before the incident in Transcendence. She stood up and stretched, unplugging her phone and putting it in her pocket before rustling around for her wallet. She looked like absolute hell, but just tied her hair into a bun and threw on a baggy hoodie before leaving her apartment. She needed something familiar, something to bring back a semblance of normalcy. She needed Coffee.

The café was right across the street. As she approached, the rich scent of espresso filled the air, and she paused for a moment to savor it. It was one of those little pleasures she had taken for granted. After a deep breath, she pushed the door open and went to place her order.

Taking a seat by the window, she pulled out her phone, only to laugh softly as she realized she hadn’t even turned it on yet. She picked at a scone while the phone booted up. Her gaze wandered over to her apartment window, the familiar view of her cluttered apartment now seeming so distant. Part of her didn’t want to go back. It felt safer here, at least for now. But she knew she couldn’t avoid it forever. After this small treat, she’d need to check for any responses from Convergence Interactive and probably make a few calls.

She received her coffee as her phone finished booting up. Taking a sip but recoiling at the heat, she balked at the number of notifications. Checking the time, she noted that it had been about 9 hours since she logged out of the game. Sifting through the notifications, they were mostly news article recommendations, celebrity gossip, junk mail, a couple of spam calls, all in all, a normal sight.

As she reached the end of her notifications, she saw a familiar icon, the logo for Transcendence. The image made her sick and for a moment she couldn’t recall why it was there, but then she recalled how Ryan insisted they download the assistant app to go with the game. Being the kind of person he was, he also insisted it be downloaded on all of her other devices. She consented to the PC, but they would have to see if the game was worth it before she went as crazy as he was going.

She remembered how he raved about how revolutionary the technology for this game was, and that they would need to be up to date on every piece of information that comes out. It wasn’t until he brought up the friends list feature that she actually decided to download it. Apparently, the app was directly linked to your account, so you could chat with your friends who were online while you went about your daily life. The time dilation between in-game hours and real hours was so drastic that a player could relay the events of an entire day of gameplay in what would have only been two and a half hours for the out-of-game person. Although in a way, she could see how that would be terribly annoying, to receive notifications faster than you could respond, but she had to admit, it was pretty amazing.

Fayne started the app and froze, seeing a string of responses from Ryan. Hesitantly she opened the thread.

Fayne 4:25 AM: I escaped! I’m finally out of that hell hole. Where did you go? I waited for you forever, not that I had any choice. Why didn’t you come back? Are you okay? Did something happen after that thing killed you? Please respond soon, I really need some rest.

RangerDanger 6:14 AM: Woah, calm down, I just respawned and was about to head back. No need to freak out, I get that you missed me, but good god woman.

RangerDanger 6:18 AM: What’s the deal with the time stamps? The thing must be bugged or something. Speaking of bugs, did you see those things down there? I barely had time to notice the minions before the boss one hit me. Hardly seems fair to put something like that so close to the starting point.

RangerDanger 7:44 AM: Head toward Ashvale, I found a group of guys to grind out some levels with. I’m already crushing it. Figure we should beef up a bit before taking down that monster. Whatever he has ought to be pretty sweet if that thing is guarding it. Don’t worry, I’ll be able to protect you this time.

RangerDanger 8:31 AM: We’re calling it quits for the day. Got some mad loot! Not really, put a ton of resources. Animal hides, herbs, you did say you wanted to alchemy at some point, right? Well, this is going to really set you up for your first few levels.

RangerDanger 10:26 AM: Ugh, this time difference is annoying. I know you’ve probably only been asleep for a few hours, but please get back in here. I need my healer!

RangerDanger 12:01 PM: We found that asshole! At least, we found the cave from earlier. Heaps of dirt outside the thing, looks like it caved in at some point and those creepy bugs shoved the blockage out. There sure are a lot of them, we actually just saw two haul in a big-ass bear and half a dozen wander out into the woods before that. No idea how the weaklings did it, but they have that ant super-strength going on though, that’s for sure. I bet other types are lurking around here.

RangerDanger 12:49 PM: Listen, if you log on here soon, head to that nest. When I respawned I couldn’t find the place very easily, so I went ahead and pinged its location, just in case you can’t find it again. We sold all our materials and stocked up on essentials. Our tank is kind of a weirdo, he is constantly roleplaying, but the dude can take a hit, and I’ve never seen someone stock up on so many potions. The dude must carry around 30 health potions at any given time. Heading out now, it should take a couple of hours in-game to get there. C’mon, log back in already, I need my healer by my side!

Fayne had been sipping her coffee absent-mindedly as she poured over the messages, nerves going crazy. It wasn’t until she reached the part about the nest that she set down her drink and looked on in horror. She was paralyzed as she worked over each word, and when she saw that her friend was heading back into that mess, checked the clock again, fired off a quick message, and bolted for her apartment.

Fayne 1:08 PM: I’LL BE THERE AS SOON AS I CAN. DO NOT ENTER THE CAVE! GO BACK TO TOWN! PLEASE!