Alone

Note from the author:

That took quite a while. Check the tags before reading, since this chapter introduces new things, or don't if you don't want spoilers.

I hope future chapters will come out faster than this one since going even slower would be an achievement. If you want to shave off a few weeks of waiting I post early previews on my discord.

Anyway, have fun reading.

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I woke up feeling cold.

Not repeating the last time I knew exactly where I was and what I was doing before falling asleep, even if this time I didn't know what should I think of it. What I knew was that the shower I was lying in turned from hot and steamy, pun intended, to simply cold.

The water was still pouring down from the nozzle far up, but thankfully no longer at me. I must have moved aside while I was sleeping. Good to know that I have some self-preservation instinct. I stood up and twisted the knobs, cutting the stream of water for the first time in who knows how long.

Shit, a good question. How long was I here? I opened the doors and immediately closed them. It was even colder outside.

I looked down at my body, noticing the goosebumps all over my skin. I crossed my arms on my chest, in an attempt to somewhat protect myself from the chilly air outside, and couldn't help but feel my stiff nipples digging into the skin of my forearms. Deep breaths, one, two, three.

I swung open the doors and stepped outside, going straight for my outfit. Then I remembered that I was still wet. Fuck, did I bring a towel with me? Was there even a towel anywhere here? I grabbed my suit and skipped on my toes to the other room, trying to minimize the contact between the floor and my bare feet as much as possible, and started franticly searching through the piles of loose items I found in the boxes previously. Towel, towel, towel. Oh, an oversized T-shirt, I guess this will do.

It didn't. I probably should have figured it out sooner, but my hair was dripping wet, and trying to dry any other part of my body was pointless, unless I somehow handled that first. Of course, I tried the T-shirt I found, but it soaked through in an instant. This was infuriating. I started searching again.

Pants, jacket, raincoat. Underwear. I am not that desperate, let's try the next box. Hand towels. At least once the RNG was on my side. I threw the wet T-shirt onto the discarded pile nearby, replacing it with at least three towels. It's ridiculous how much water can be simply in hair. I stood still for a moment, trying to feel if something was dripping down. Nope, good to go.

Another thing I learned is that a good towel makes all the difference. The one I was using was soft and fluffy, nothing like the clothes I used before. I sat down on one of the nearby boxes, taking my time drying my legs. Well, that, and just feeling the delicate fabric glide on my skin. This was the first time I had a chance to pay attention to this stuff.

I felt my face get just a bit hot. The first time, if I don't count what I did in the shower. That was, what, my third female orgasm since I got this body? The first two by courtesy of Veronica, one all by myself, but each felt completely different. The last two were definitely my favorite, and I barely had a finger inside me. I wonder how it would feel to have something bigger...

Nope, no, I do not wonder, not at all. I shook my head. Man, was I daydreaming?! Focus!

I finished drying myself with strict efficiency and went straight back for my suit. Putting it back on proved to be more work than getting it off, since it was made to fit me perfectly with absolutely no slack. It works great once you have it on, but it's not so great when you have to squeeze your legs into it.

Next were boots and gloves. Each element flashed green near the seam when it connected with the rest of the outfit, creating airtight and skintight protection except for my head. And hair, still wrapped in towels. I giggled thinking about a combat helmet for hair, going halfway down your back, keeping your hairstyle in pristine condition even during a battle. Devs, here I am if you are looking for an item or gear designer.

Deeming my hair dry enough, I threw the remaining towels onto the floor. It's not like I will be the one to clean up all of this mess, so why not? I walked back to the room with the shower, to check if I didn't forget anything.

Huh, I guess I must have forgotten to turn off the water before I snoozed off. The industrial-sized tank was missing almost a third of its content, and I am sure it was full when I got here. Having drinkable water for a month, or taking one, good shower, was a deal I was willing to make, especially since I was leaving in a moment. Oh, and the water heater was broken. I may be no electrician, but one side of the machine was burned black, and that is certainly not good. I guess that's why the water turned cold at the end. Despite this being a virtual space I almost felt bad for how much I managed to screw this place up in such a short time.

Anyway, I hadn't left anything here, so I walked back to the main room. There were just two things left to do. Equipment check, and figuring out what that console near the wall is for. I left it as it was yesterday afraid that it would reveal my position or call reinforcements or something like that, but since now I was leaving anyway, nothing stopped me from messing with it a little.

After an EQ check of course. Making some space on the floor I took out everything I had, both my starting items and whatever I found here. One rifle, now with a suppressor and two magazines left from the last fight. Then thirty rounds of ammo that I found, which gave me another four full mags, one round to put in a chamber, because fuck firearm safety, and one more spare, to the used only in an emergency. I definitely did not just make that up because I had no idea what to do with that last bullet.

Also, now I had two sidearms. My default laser pistol and a new regular, or should I say, ballistic one. There probably was some difference in laser versus bullet damage, maybe one was better against shields and the other one against armor, but at this point, I couldn't be bothered. I will figure it out as I go by just shooting stuff. I had enough spare ammo for both of them, and I wasn't planning on engaging up close anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem anytime soon.

Rope, flashlight, arc lighter, two med kits, one energy stim, and a knife. Probably even more generic, but useful survival gear that I had in a bag lying on the ground. This was my Schrodinger bag. Until I decide to check what it contains there is a non-zero chance, that it has exactly what I need for any possible situation. The trick is to never actually open it.

I tapped twice on each of the items and placed them directly into my equipment. Since I was in a secure location I could do it instantly and didn't have to wait for the timer, which was a convenient quality-of-live feature.

After clearing the floor and nearly filling my inventory space there was just one thing left to do. Check the terminal, hope it won't explode or something like that, and then get out of here and find the rest of the team. Right, I managed to somehow forget about that last part until now.

Fuck, how much time have I spent here already? Must have been at least a few hours. Veronica will kill me once I tell her I slept while they searched for me. I chuckled. Yeah, I know you were worried about me, getting shot at and having to hide from the pursuit, but I was having some quality time by myself in the shower, so you know, priorities.

I pressed the biggest button on the console and it powered on. At first glance, I could already tell that it had nothing to do with the bunker itself. There was a greyed-out trading section with a note that it would unlock once I reached a hub and four other panels labeled: character, map, quests, and updates.

I clicked on the character first. Simply a bigger version of the default screen I already knew fairly well, except everything had more notes attached, explaining how my skills worked and what my stats were responsible for. One thing caught my attention, the left arm of my avatar on the screen, which was colored red with a note saying [Lasting injury - combat debuff]. That must have been from the boss fight when I blew up the war bot with a grenade. Whatever, I shoot using my right hand, so I should be fine.

Also, there was a list of perks in a separate tab. A really long list of hidden perks. I already knew that as a pre-defined character, there was something weird going on with my build, but seeing the magnitude of fuckery here was something different. With an exception for a few perks that I managed to discover by myself every single one was grated-out with a note [Description hidden, progress the story to unlock].

Good to know that there even is a storyline here. Right, there was a 'quests' tab on the main screen. Let's see.

[Finish the tutorial | Industrial Complex - Completed]

[Activate the teleport | Shattered Hills]

[Defeat the Overseer | Shattered Hills]

[Upgrade ARCS | Sky-Torn Canyon]

[Acquire VoidSling]

[Recruit a follower - Optional, Started, Progress hidden]

The tutorial one is blinking, let's start with that. Click. Got some exp and dismissed it from the list, cool. Now let's focus on the other ones. Can't open them, not cool. No way to tell which ones are the main storyline and which are side quests. Maybe there is no difference, it would be nice if every quest somehow contributed to the outcome of the plot. I have played a few games with a system like this and it would make sense if it worked the same here, since this game is supposed to be better than anything else ever.

Shattered Hills is where I'm at, so the path seems clear. Beat the boss, Overseer as it turns out he's called, and get through the teleport to the next stage, which I assume would be the Sky-Torn Canyon. Then get the suit upgrade, which I assume is a character-specific mission, and acquire a VoidSling, whatever it is. There is no location mentioned with this one, so I guess it can be completed on different maps. Or it's bought in a premium cash shop. Nah, a game like this wouldn't have microtransactions. I think. I made a mental note to check the trading screen once I unlocked it.

Hmm, I wonder if the big guy that shot me at the drop ship is the Overseer. That would make sense, he was much stronger than the other mobs I fought. I mean, it would suck if that was the case, since I have no idea how I could beat him, but maybe there is still something I am missing. A mission-critical item, or just a few levels.

Oh, maybe it's that recruiting a follower thing. Go talk to someone, help them in some way and they give you an item required to bypass the plot armor of the boss. Now just to find that someone. The status says that I already started this quest, but I had no idea how or when I did that. Another mystery to solve later.

I went back to the main menu and opened the map panel. It showed a much larger area than my compass, I could see the cliff where we set up a camp, the cave where the first teleport was, the lonely mansion where I almost died, and the bunker I was now hiding in. There was also a wide area to the north that stretched over the forest until it reached the remains of the now-destroyed mountain. It still baffled me how someone could just blow up a whole ass hill, but since that's where the main teleport was I guess I will have a chance to look closer into it.

[Map updated]

Oh, first good notification in quite some time. Now let's check the last panel. Opening the Updates tab I saw a long list with version numbers attached to them, most starting with 1.9 and then turning into 2.0. By the number of bug fixes, it was clear why there were so many stutters back when we were just starting the game. I opened the last post on the list, titled '2.1 is on the way!'.

'Hello, players!

We are immensely happy with your reactions to the 2.0 update. It is a big step for us, as it will push the game in a new direction, providing a more cohesive and exciting experience as per the community outlines we collected at our last highest-tier supporters poll.

To summarise, it was decided that you want a game with no artificial boundaries, one that would give you the freedom to experience everything this virtual world, and more importantly, your avatar, has to offer.

With that, in version 2.0 we introduced more mature content across all spectrums of gameplay, from character creation to social activities to even core game systems such as combat, loot, and quests. So far we have been keeping the changes fairly mild, to judge the reaction of the broader community to the changes, but as of right now, we have more than enough data to decide the next step.

We hear you loud and clear, and your feedback gave us a clear sight of what you want to see next. With the overwhelming endorsement from your side, we were given the green light to continue down this path, and we can happily announce, that the upcoming version 2.1 will have all the features we held back from the update 2.0.

We don't want to spoil too much, but you can expect everything you loved about the new update but turned up to eleven, with even more and even better features on the way, seamlessly blending the core gameplay with the new systems. Get ready for some big changes!

The 2.1 version update will go live in 24 in-game hours. We eagerly await your feedback!

GLHF.

P.S. As always, a huge thanks to all of our supporters, especially the top-tier ones. If you like the game and want to help us make it even better visit our forum and sign up for the supporter program.'

I stood there, staring at the screen. Then read all of it again. And again. I clicked on the attached file, which showed a long list of usernames and tags, but one thing stood out. There were just five names in the top support tier.

What the fuck?!

So this whole thing was set up by just five dudes?! Five dudes! How in the living fuck is that possible? How much do they pay to have so much power? And the other players are fine with that? This whole post must be just propaganda, there is no way you could fill an action RPG with porn with no one opposing it. And they said they were keeping the changes to the minimum until now! What could they possibly add more?

When was this posted? Fifteen hours ago. So another nine till the update. This means we have just nine hours to get to the main teleport and out of here. At least James will be happy that we can speed-run this.

I shut down the console and checked the time again. It was getting dark when we were attacked at our camp, and right now it's just past 6 A.M. So I was out for what, ten hours? Not too bad. I assume the rest of the team found a place to sleep too, so we shouldn't be desynchronized much, they will have at most a few hours over me.

I checked the inventory one last time, took out the rifle, just in case, and headed to the stairs leading outside. I will head back to where our camp was. They probably moved somewhere else since the attack, but with my scouting skills, I shouldn't have much trouble finding them, or at least some clues that will lead me to them. Then straight to the crater, through the teleport and we are out.

For good this time.

------------|V|------------

I sat at the edge of the cliff, watching the scenery before me. I had no idea what I should do now. All of my plans were based on a single assumption that I took for granted, and now, with this one point missing it all fell apart.

I looked behind me at the remnants of the battle. The field where we started to put up our camp was dotted with bullet holes from the chain gun of the drop ship. Below me, beyond the edge of the cliff were even more marks, with a few larger holes blown up by explosives. I already checked there.

This was the first place I went to. I could navigate the forest just fine thanks to my skills and had more than enough clues to piece together what went down when I was fighting on my own at the mansion. As I expected, the team moved back further into the woods, where they could hide from the drop ship and fight on more advantageous terms.

I followed the path of destruction. Bullet marks, holes in the ground after explosives, and even burned patches on the tree bark from laser weapons led me along the flow of the battle. I spotted a few thinner trees that were completely pierced through and immediately thought of the big guy who shot me earlier. There were no bodies on the ground, either they were recovered by the enemies or simply despawned. Following the tracks further, the number of unique footprints dropped to only three. My team. My former team.

I went where the tracks took me. Back to the camp again, then to the radio station I found earlier. Then to the mansion and back again to the camp. Finally, to the teleport that we came here through. There I found the second camp and a note. I squeezed the piece of paper in my hand, not even needing to read it again to recall its content.

'Valerie.

I am sorry. This should not have happened. We should have never asked you to split up. I hope that once you get here again with your next character you will find this message. I just want to ask you not to hold a grudge against me for this mistake. I hope that I will have a chance to make it up to you in the future.

Veronica.'

She left this note in their second camp. They waited almost two days for me to come back, searching for me all the while. While I slept hidden.

Turns out I was in that bunker for over thirty hours, not ten as I thought. Who would have guessed, that when James told me that passive healing had a terrible rate he was not kidding. I got all of my health back and had to pay the full price in wasted time.

The worst thing is, they teleported out today, and I couldn't blame them for it. Maybe if I didn't heal to full, I would have enough time to catch them. Maybe if I took off my scout shield they would have spotted me with a minimap scan. Maybe if I let myself get shot near the camp I would have been captured, and they could rescue me. But instead of doing any of that, I locked myself in a hidden bunker, that I managed to find only thanks to my special skills. All those mistakes, and I missed them by not more than a couple of hours.

What do I do now? I don't even have an option to let myself get captured anymore, since now there is no one to rescue me.

I shook my head and stood up. Why do I keep thinking that way?

I got caught up worrying about what I would do with no one to protect me I forgot to ask, what will I do to protect myself? Until now I always had someone watching over me, keeping me safe. That safety net kept me docile and meek.

I threw the note and watched it drift down the cliff, tossed around by the wind. They left, but maybe this was what I needed. I would have never decided to let them go, so this whole situation being forced on me may be exactly what I needed, even if I was too afraid to make that step on my own. This was my extended tutorial, but it's over now. Time to handle things by myself.

------------|V|------------

Hiking is perfect when you must take your mind off some things. It doesn't matter that you are inside a virtual world, the human brain didn't have the time to evolve enough to learn the difference. It gets all the stimuli it wants, fresh air, a clear sky, the sun high up, and rolling hills to walk through. It certainly worked for me.

I spent a few hours traveling north, towards the base where the teleport was located. Wanting to have some time for myself I took wide detours whenever I came close to any enemy patrol. I wasn't in a hurry anymore, and the last thing I needed was to break the peace of mind I worked on through the entire journey. Despite calmly explaining to myself that things turning the way they have is a positive thing I still needed some time to process all of this emotionally.