The large-scale event of the game was to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and it gave the players a chance to earn countless rewards and an abundance of experience points. That was why the Hero's team was so eager to hunt for mobs and go into as many easy dungeons as possible to level up their gear, and themselves.
As the team that was at the top of the leaderboard, they had high expectations placed on them and they didn't want to disappoint the people who rooted for them. Especially their guild members who were waiting for them to bring back the legendary equipment, and make their guild stronger. Isn't that what every player yearned for? To be the strongest in the game.
And it was the same for the Hero, Jarreth. Playing the game, Archeline, was fun and it was something Jarreth did every day, but it was also something to see his power increase. In addition to that, he had made friends in the game that had become like a second family.
If they weren't fighting, or levelling up, they could be found hanging out in the bookshop or travelling to different places on the map to complete the miscellaneous tasks. And when they weren't doing that, Jarreth would be with Faye.
By now he knew he should give up, but it was the first time someone didn't want to talk to him, and it confused him. His sunny, friendly appearance wasn't just a facade, it was his whole personality, and he had always been told how likeable he was. So, Faye ignoring him was something new. And not that he didn't notice that she was unlike the other players, and was more NPC-like, but when he saw her, he didn't see it as her being an actual NPC; she was too human-like and different from the other NPC.
Thoughts of her being an NPC were always pushed to the back of his mind when he saw her, and in this way, it was easy to treat her like he would a fellow player. With this, it made it more difficult for Faye to keep up the act, and there was always the risk of it crumbling one day. This worried Ashlyn and Nox, who were always somewhere nearby in the shop.
☽
The cobblestone path felt hard under his feet, and the artificial sun shone overhead, as he moved past the countless thatched houses that lined the path, and he led the party over to the fountain at the centre of town. Excitement stirred in the crowd, and the chatter of countless players came together to form a hum as they waited for the Speaker to announce the start of the event.
Jarreth took it all in and breathed in; the air was refreshing and filled him with a sense of anticipation for what was to come. "It's always good to come to Reiftan."
"Coming to the town square is an experience." Commented a tall, crimson-haired elf known as Eilron. In the game, he was snarky, but in real life, he was the sweetest guy you'd ever meet. And he was also Jarreth's college friend outside of the game.
"Don't be like that, Eil." Laughed Ayda, and placed her arm around his shoulders. "Just think of the things we'll gain from the event." Eilron shrugged off her arm and ignored her jabs at his attitude.
"What are you looking at?" Elex noticed Jarreth staring behind them, followed his line of sight and understood. "Aren't you tired of this by now, Jarr?" Elex raised his eyebrows and turned his focus back to his friend.
"No," Jarreth replied, without taking his eyes off the woman that could be seen through the window. "Why would I be?"
"Jarr, you know the relationship between you can't be taken further, right?" Elex now seemed distressed when he saw his friend's determined appearance. "She's just a..."
There was a pause and Jarreth, whose gaze was no longer carefree, opened his mouth to say, "I know. I'll be right back."
He left the concerned group behind and entered the shop.
☽
The bell tingling over the door startled Faye, who had been quietly reading behind the desk, and she raised her head to see who had interrupted the peaceful afternoon she had been having. Today had been quiet with no players entering the shop, and Ashlyn had taken Nox on a tour of the town; they were excited to have someone else they could share their knowledge about the world with.
Ashlyn liked spending time with Faye, but it had just been the both of them for so long, so meeting another person who had the free will to go against the computer was a nice addition to their little group. And this meant that, when Ashlyn was away with Nox, Faye had some more time to be by herself - to catch up on her reading, or just to relax before she had to open the shop for the players.
"Um..." The Hero lost his confidence a bit when he saw that she wasn't going to start a conversation with him. It was regained a little when he noticed that she was looking at him this time, and wasn't ignoring his presence like she usually did when he came into the shop; this looked like a good sign, and he worked up the courage to say something to her. "Is it ok to talk?"
Silence reigned in the shop once more, and when it started becoming uncomfortable for Jarreth, she spoke, "sure."
Jarreth perked up at the sound of her voice, and leaned on the desk with excitement, "really?"
"Yes." Faye looked like she regretted the decision and moved backwards in her seat, away from the Hero. "Just say what you have to say."
"Well, I..."
The Hero was interrupted by a crackling sound coming from a corner of the shop. In shock, they both turned their heads at the same time and saw a large black bubble appear out of nowhere.
"What is that?" Jarreth stepped forward to get a closer look but was pulled back by Faye, who was now standing behind him.
"Don't touch it."
"Do you know what it is?"
"No." Faye shook her head, still keeping a hold on the Hero's arm so he wouldn't go towards the bubble. "It just feels dangerous."
She didn't know what the black bubble was, however, she could feel the menacing aura radiating off of it, and knew that they shouldn't go near it. And what they didn't know was that this was what had helped Nox get out of the dungeon.
It was a bug.