Aside from the players and NPCs frozen in place, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary when Jarreth arrived at the bookshop. As he stepped inside, it felt like everything happening outside was unreal.
The usual sounds of pages turning, people moving between bookshelves, and enjoying their breaks between dungeon runs in the cafe upstairs were a distant memory. An eerie silence prevailed inside the bookshop, isolating it from the rest of the game world.
"It's in lockdown mode," Jarreth muttered as he moved through the shop. The sound of his boots against the wooden floor echoed in the otherwise quiet room.
Jarreth's eyes adjusted to the muted, warm lighting. Rows of shelves loomed over the party members, and dust hung in the air, unmoving. Even the hands of the clock behind the counter stood still—time inside the shop had come to a complete standstill, just like everything else.
And then he heard it. A faint hum, low and electric, vibrating through the floorboards and the surrounding space. His gaze snapped to the end of the room where the air was becoming distorted, like something was about to appear.
Long wires first slid through the portal, then a large computer screen that was showing static and making a loud buzzing sound.
The Main Computer was here, and it wasn't going to give them any chances to resist.
Its wires shot out and wound them around the bodies of the party members: squeezing them until their faces turned red, and they were about to pass out. Their struggles made the Main Computer more excited, and the wires tightened their grip, not allowing them to grab their weapons.
Jarreth had dodged and was the only one still on his feet. He pressed himself against a bookshelf, his heart hammering against his chest.
The Main Computer's extra wires slithered over the floor like snakes hunting for their prey. The others still coiled around his party members - no, his friends - their limbs pinned to their sides and their faces became even more flushed with the strain from their oxygen-starved lungs.
The screen attached to the wires flickered, the static becoming even more intense. Sounds of the buzzing reached new heights and almost deafened the players still in danger.
Jarreth gripped the sword in his palm. The sword's hilt dug into his skin, but he barely noticed the pain; he was more focused on his friends. He had only one shot to attack the Main Computer, and get it to release the players in its death grip.
If he messed this up, he could also be in danger. Without outside help, this could be their last day as players, or they could be wiped out.
Jarreth raised the sword high. Every muscle seemed on fire as he strained and leapt up into the air. He struck the Main Computer's screen with full force, sparks erupted as the glass shattered. It rained down to the ground, and circuity could be seen within the screen.
It wasn't enough to release the party members, but the Main Computer became dazed. And for the first time Jarreth saw it hesitate, and its grip loosened somewhat, given the members a chance to breathe.
Jarreth landed hard on the floor, his chest rising and falling rapidly, as he tried hard to steady his breathing. He couldn't lose his cool and had to keep his rationality. If he faltered even slightly, it would all be over, and there would be no chances to recover.
Looking up at the Main Computer, it was now looking worse for the wear. Cracks marred its screen, wires snaked wildly across the ground, and the buzzing was uncontrollable.
"Hey, over here!"
A voice cut through the suffocating silence like a crack of lightning, shattering the tense stand-off between Jarreth and the Main Computer. For a moment, Jarreth thought he was imagining it; a phantom sound conjured by desperation.
But then he saw her... Faye.
It had been a while since he last laid eyes on her, and he wasn't expecting her to appear here, in this moment. Judging by the Main Computer's sudden stillness, it hadn't either.
The machine's screen twisted toward the sound, its cracked surface flickering erratically, but the glow beneath the fractures flared brighter as it locked onto the source. It hadn't given up on its ambition to experiment on this certain NPC turned Player.
Her presence was captivating and like a ray of light shining through the darkness; her presence contrasted against the gloom of the dim shop.
The party members, who had been on the verge of dying just now, stopped struggling against the wires and joy surged through them at the possibility of someone coming to their rescue.
Jarreth shared their sentiments, and he paused in his attack movements to look at the woman.
The suffocating hopelessness that had held tightly to everyone present was slowly ebbing away, to be replaced by a newfound hope.
Jarreth felt it too. It pulsed through his entire body, relaxing the taut muscles, and he had a new will to fight. And as his gaze stayed focused on Faye, his grip on the sword loosened.
Usually, when she was in the bookshop, Faye barely spoke and her presence was barely noticeable. But now? Hearing her voice fill the room, sharp and commanding, was both unfamiliar and comforting.
Maybe, just maybe, they weren't out of options yet. And for the first time since this nightmare started, they might have a chance of winning this fight.