NPC/Player [1]

After he was sure Faye was okay, Jarreth got ready to go back to Reiftan, and Amara told him she would take care of Faye while she was there. He expressed gratitude to his old friend and then left; his concerns for Faye were replaced with the idea of the group in the bookshop fighting the Main Computer, and he quickly made his way to the teleportation array.

Shortly after, Faye woke up feeling groggy and did not know where she was. The sharp pain in her head had dimmed to a dull ache, and she rested in the bed for a moment as the fog in her mind slowly dispersed and she returned to reality. One moment she had been in the bookshop and now she was in this unfamiliar place. What happened with the Main Computer? What about Jarreth, and her friends that were outside the shop?

She had no way of getting the answers to the questions, so she could only assess her situation and stay put until she was certain that there was no more danger. As she lay there, she flexed her fingers and moved her limbs: it was as if she was her usual self, but there was also something strange. The annoying noise that had been in her brain was gone, as was the feeling of being confined in one spot, unable to move, and the desire to do whatever was written in the data that made up her being were gone.

And even though she didn't know what was happening in her body, there was a sense of familiarity, and like the state she was in now, was how she was always supposed to be. Like being an NPC hadn't been the real her, and now was what she had been before she was placed in the game: or had she been tampered with, and made into the NPC Faye?

More and more questions swirled around, and her headache was growing worse. It was no good to think over these things now, especially when she wasn't sure what was happening back at the shop.

"Oh good, you're awake." A pleasant voice broke Faye out of her reverie and she turned to face the door, where a beautiful player was entering the room. "I thought you would sleep longer. You were sleeping so peacefully when Jarreth brought you here."

"Jarreth brought me here?" Faye sat up. Her long hair fell over her shoulders and her violet eyes looked questioningly at the woman.

"Yes." The player smiled at the thought of the Hero and sat on the edge of the bed. "He left after making sure you were fine. Said something about a situation in Reiftan and he had to go back. When that's done, I'm sure he'll come to see you. Oh, and you can call me Amara."

"Can you tell me what happened?" The woman made herself comfortable and asked. "Jarreth left before he could tell me anything."

"Well, it was..." Faye didn't know what she could say, or where she should even begin. This place was still within the game and under the Main Computer, and even if it was preoccupied with the happenings in the bookshop, it could still overhear what was said there.

Amara could see that she was struggling to speak her mind and said, "are you worried about the Main Computer hearing us? Don't be I used an item that creates a barrier around the house and blocks out all sounds."

And after seeing Faye's bewilderment she added, "years ago I saved someone just like you: someone who was between a player and NPC, and during their stay here they taught me many things. They had the ability to create barriers, shields and the like and they developed an item that would hide people from the eye of the Main Computer."

"You can speak freely here and not worry about being overheard." Amara finished speaking and a look of sadness crossed her features at the mention of the person that was saved.

Faye now had a lot more questions and lowered her eyes to the bedsheet, and contemplation marred her thoughts. A moment later, she spoke, "others like me? Between a player and NPC, what does that mean?"

The woman sighed and said, "truthfully, that person was not the first person I met that was changing from an NPC to a player. I've met plenty like that, and for a time, I would help them adjust to their new way of life. Actually, if you go around Silverport, you might bump into someone who was once an NPC.

Silverport looks like a trading port on the surface, but hidden in the city are the ones who have disconnected from the Main Computer and now it sees them as any other player. It seems that as soon as they became a full player, the Main Computer couldn't detect them anymore and ignored their existence."

"Others like me." Faye mulled over the words and took in everything that Amara had said. "Didn't the Main Computer pursue them, or try to capture them?"

"Yes." Amara sighed again. "At first the Main Computer went into a frenzy and crazily chased the NPCs so it could imprison them and study them. I guess it wanted to know how the NPCs changed back to a player, and how it could prevent that from happening. After all, a game without NPCs isn't much of anything. How could the game continue if all of its NPCs were gone?

But when they turned into players, it gave up because it was unable to sense them anymore and went back to wherever it stays. The same happened with the one I saved, but unfortunately, they weren't so lucky and ended up being erased by the system."

"Now can you tell me what happened back in Reiftan, and is Jarreth in danger?" The last part of the question seemed to be the most important, and the worry that Amara had for Jarreth was written all over her face.

Faye sat up more and opened her mouth to explain what had happened back at the bookshop.

"I see." Amara looked thoughtful for a moment, then stood up. She straightened her clothes and went to the door, then turned back to Faye and said. "You wait here and rest up. I'll get someone trustworthy to stay here with you."

"Where are you going?" Faye went to stand up but was stopped by Amara.

"I'm going to go help."