Fayne had taken time to log out, rest, recover, get some real food, all the normal things a person needs to stay alive in the real world. This time, when she logged back in, she was excited for the day, she was eager to get started playing the game for the reason it was created, instead of just toiling away for some bug man holding players hostage.
She received a message from Ryan shortly after logging in and knew with the time difference, even if he rushed it would likely take him a while to arrive. She lounged about, laying on the edge of the fountain in the center of town, soaking in the sun's welcoming rays and breathing in the crisp morning air."Well, well, well, looks like you did it. Kind of pissed I was left out, but I understand the time crunch." RangerDanger teased as he made his way toward the fountain.Fayne's eyes snapped open, and a smile immediately spread across her face. "Ryan, you made it!""Of course I did," he replied, strolling toward her with his usual cocky swagger. "How could I miss the chance to see what kind of trouble you've been getting into? Or I guess, what kind of trouble you managed to get out of.""You're late," she teased, standing up straight and crossing her arms. "You said you'd be on in five minutes, and by my count, it's been forty minutes."Ranger took a deep breath and rolled his eyes, "In game time doesn't count and you know it" he tossed back, "But hey, I'm here now. What's been going on?""Oh, you know…" Fayne waved vaguely toward the bustling village. "Just wrangling half the village to kill monsters for meat. No big deal.""Wrangling? Fiona, you had a whole army of adventurers out there grinding wolves and trolls because of you. That's impressive."She laughed softly, shaking her head before her tone fell a bit more somber. "I did what I could, but in the end it was thanks to Mom and Dad." she paused, reflecting on the thought."Oh, I'm sorry Fiona, but you know that they would be so proud of you right now. You used some of what they gave you to save real lives. If you hadn't been here, in this game, in this village at the right time, those players might not be alive right now." Ryan tried to reassure her, something he wasn't great at, but he felt as though he was making solid points."But we also set everything into motion, we're the reason Dar… The Vescarid King is even active". She fell deeper into the melancholy hole she had dug, remembering their first encounter with Darian, and how it was their interference that awoke him from his hibernation, or whatever it was he was doing."You can't know that for sure. For all we know, he was going to wake up sooner or later. If we hadn't gone down there and suffered like we did, he might have woken up a week later, been a lot stronger, and launched a surprise attack on the village with no resistance." Stepping forward, Ryan grabbed her hand gently in his own."I know," Fayne replied, "It all makes sense and I promise I'll be fine, it's just hard to get rid of these feelings when I get this way. I think I need a distraction, and I have a good idea. You can meet my new friends, would that be alright?" her voice hopeful."Lead the way." Ranger gestured, Fayne's hand still in his. "Let me see these miracle workers keeping you alive.""I kept them alive. Healer, remember?" some of her playfulness seeping into her voice as she led him past the village gates to a clearing where her group was setting up to head out. Brodin was sharpening his axe, Sienna was sorting through her pack, and Wren lounged on a log, twirling a dagger between his fingers."Guys," Fayne called out, "this is RangerDanger."The trio turned, and after a brief moment of silence, Brodin let out a booming laugh. "Danger, huh? Hope you live up to the name.""I try," Ranger said with a grin, giving a casual salute. "And you must be the ones keeping Fayne out of trouble. Respect.""So what level are you Ranger?" Brodin called out, pleased with himself as he knew he brought up a sore subject."... Shut up" Ranger replied as he turned his gaze to the ground in shame while Brodin broke out into a raucous burst of laughter."She's more of a pain than you'd think," Wren joked, earning a glare from Fayne."Don't listen to him," Sienna added with a smirk. "She's been pulling her weight. Mostly."As they traded introductions Ranger could see her starting to lose herself back into the game as laughter flowed between the group.Fayne made her way over to Sienna, her smirk growing with every step. "So… 'mostly,' huh?"Sienna glanced up from the equipment she was inspecting, her expression calm, but there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "What about it?""You said I pull my weight... mostly." Fayne tilted her head, feigning offense. "What's that supposed to mean?"Sienna set her pack down and met Fayne's gaze with a deadpan look. "Exactly what it sounds like. You're great when you're, you know, healing and all. But sometimes…" She let the pause hang deliberately, a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips."Sometimes what?" Fayne's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer, her tone playful.Sienna allowed the smirk to form fully. "Sometimes, you're just... there. Waving your staff around like you're swatting at mosquitos."Fayne gasped, clutching her chest in mock indignation. "I'll have you know that waving my staff is an art form! I bring life, Sienna. Life!"Sienna raised an eyebrow. "Sure, if life means swatting at imaginary bugs."Fayne stepped closer, her grin widening despite herself. "You take that back right now."Instead of backing down, Sienna took a step forward, so close that their noses almost touched. "Make me."Then, with a quick, almost mischievous glint in her eye, Sienna leaned in and kissed Fayne lightly on the cheek before turning sharply and walking away. "Keep up the good work, artist," she called over her shoulder, her voice trying to stay steady despite a nervous chuckle.Fayne stood frozen, blinking rapidly as her cheeks flushed bright red."What's going on over here?" Wren asked, hopefully, oblivious to everything that had transpired."I… I honestly don't know," Fayne stammered, her hand instinctively rising to touch her cheek."Whatever it is," Wren said with a wicket smile, "we've got plenty of bugs around here. Better get your staff ready for all that swatting."Fayne groaned loudly. "Oh come on! Is this seriously a thing now?"Brodin, who had been sitting nearby and sharpening his axe, snorted. "You're fine, healer. Without you, we'd all be scratching ourselves to death from those bug bites.""Great," Fayne muttered, no longer sure if this was a joke or if they were actually picking on her at this point. "Just great."As the laughter subsided, Sienna circled back, her tone softer this time. "Hey, Fayne. I'm sorry. I might've started that whole thing." She placed a hand gently on Fayne's shoulder, her voice low. "You do a lot more than just keep us alive. You're the glue that holds this team together."Fayne blinked, caught off guard by the sudden sincerity. "Oh… uh, thanks, Sienna.""And," Sienna added, her voice barely above a whisper, "you have really soft skin," she added while quickly licking her lips.Fayne's jaw dropped. "Who are you, and what have you done with Sienna?" she exclaimed loudly, causing heads to turn."Everything alright over here?" a familiar voice interjected.The group turned to see Dravok standing nearby, his serious tone cutting short their playful banter. Fayne's smile faltered. Dravok was nice enough but she never really knew how she should behave around him. He treated the game like he was part of some military outfit and everyone else lived only to serve his purpose."Dravok," she said, her voice steadying. "What brings you here?"The moment shifted, the humor fading as everyone felt a little uncomfortable. Everyone except RangerDanger who hopped up to greet his old party member.RangerDanger sprang to his feet, his grin wide in recognition, "Dravok! Long time, no see! How's it going, man?"Dravok nodded curtly, his professional demeanor was unwavering. "Ranger," he said simply. His eyes bounced between every member of the group briefly before settling back on Fayne. "I've been trying to gather everyone who was there that day, checking in to see how people are holding up."Fayne's stomach twisted. She felt like there was more to his story, like he was a cop and she was someone who had just committed a very seriously crime, which in the grand scheme of things, may have been true."Well, we're all here now," RangerDanger said cheerfully, clearly oblivious to the undercurrents. "You guys gotta meet Fayne's team, they're solid. And hey, Brodin's got this crazy axe that could probably chop a mountain in half."Dravok raised an eyebrow. "I'll take your word for it. Right now, I'm more interested in what happened after the raid." His eyes flicked back to Fayne. "You've been busy, I hear."Fayne grew rigid but still maintained eye contact. "You could say that. We've been hunting.""For meat, right?" Dravok pressed."Yeah, the quest required a mountain of meat to complete." she bluffedDravok was unconvinced, "You hired twenty-five people," Dravok began, his voice low and calculating "To harvest nearly one hundred and fifty thousand pounds of meat. Then it vanishes. The villagers don't have it, and no one in the nearby towns has seen a shred of it. Fayne, where did it go?"Fayne took a breath, forcing calm into her voice. She had prepared for this moment."It went to save the village," she said simply.Dravok raised an eyebrow. "Explain."She prepared herself to spin this yarn and decided to just go for it, "There's a dragon…""Not just any dragon, a Mountain Wyrm. It's ancient, colossal, and more dangerous than anything you've ever seen. It's been slumbering in a cavern at the peak of the the mountain forages. I found it when I was poking around for areas of interest that Ranger and I could explore. It was restless and upset, apparently, all the fighting with that bug-man had awoken it."Fayne's group and Dravok's team exchanged unsure glances. Dravok, however, kept his gaze fixed on her."It was hungry," Fayne continued. "And it was going to descend on the village. With how things went with that creature that took you all hostage, I didn't want to risk anything and it would have been suicide anyway. A creature that size? We'd have been burned to ash before we got close. So, I did the only thing I could. I bargained.""You bargained with a dragon," Dravok said skeptically.Fayne nodded. "It spoke. Its voice shook me to the core. It demanded food, more food than any of us could ever produce. That's why I hired the mercenaries. That's why I collected so much meat. It was the only way to keep the village safe. I was left a lot of money, and I really got into this game so it wasn't a huge issue, I just wanted to keep this area protected so I could play the game and keep in touch with my friends."Why didn't you tell anyone?" Dravok demanded."Because the deal was fragile," Fayne shot back. "Do you think villagers marching up the mountain with pitchforks or adventurers swinging swords at its scales would have helped? No! It would have destroyed us all. I had to act quickly. I didn't want more players suffering""And the dragon?" another adventurer asked, his voice tinged with fear. "What happened to it?""It ate," Fayne said plainly. "It ate and returned to sleep. I made sure of it. I saw it settle back into the cavern and collapse the entrance myself."Dravok's gaze lingered on Fayne for a moment longer, searching her face for cracks in her story. He felt like there were a few, along with the nagging suspicion in the back of his mind."But," Dravok continued, his tone softening, "I can't deny that you saved me. Us." He gestured to his team, who had been standing quietly in the background, watching the exchange. "And we could use all the help we can get. The wilderness out there's getting rougher, and I've got a few leads on some worthwhile loot."He stepped forward, his eyes meeting hers. "How about it? Join us for a hunt. We could use an extra pair of hands. Some quick XP, a bit of loot, we could all use a little more power, right?"Fayne regarded him carefully, her gaze steady. Dravok was offering a chance to coordinate with her group. Whether that was to pose additional questions or simply to build up strength in case Darian attacked again, she wasn't sure, but it was tempting.She glanced at her companions, then back at Dravok. "If my group is fine with it, I am," she said after a long moment, her voice diplomatic. "We'll hunt together, and get a chance to weigh one another's strengths and weaknesses so we can better work together in the future"Dravok gave an uncertain smile. "Fair enough, we could very well be working together in the near future, so this is a solid plan."The rest of his team nodded, some with genuine interest, others with a slight air of skepticism. For now, everyone shared the same goal of loot and experience. Those who participated in Fayne's hunt earned personal financial wealth, but they didn't get any in-game loot, which meant that their characters were not effectively geared to move into the next location.With a final nod, Dravok turned, leading the way as his team followed. Fayne and her companions fell in behind. Fayne was satisfied, as for now, they were allies, and should something unexpected happen, she was confident her group would manage, as they were at higher levels than Dravok, even though their gear might be lacking a bit.