Pain in the ARC was nothing new. For most simulations damage would be mitigated by traits, abilities, Paths, or armor. Even then limitations made being eviscerated feel like breaking a bone. At least I assumed so. I had broken bones in reality but never had my guts torn out.

Virtual reality made it hard to form a proper frame of reference. Trying to quantify this new sensation took a moment of scrambled thought. Holding [Morrigu’s Gift] in that key slot was simply pain for a few moments before a correlation hit.

This felt like sticking my arm slowly into boiling water. Searing heat climbed upwards causing muscles to clench in a tight grip despite a voice in my head screaming to let go and run away. A brief moment of pride at resisting the impulse was buried under fresh agony.

I hung on while gasping as more of my body reported boiling. The hole itself was up high enough that I could have easily allowed gravity take me away. Instead I remembered the message and grit my teeth. One hand slapped over the first and both held on.

My mind numbed as breath shortened. The air around me felt warm. Dusk’s chirp noises faded into the background. Survival instincts tried to overwhelm me I had never been good at paying attention to those.

Xin’s life mattered more than any of this. An unstable hand reached out into the air. I stared at the floating box until it responded to my scattered thoughts. Trying to focus paid off as it moved into a clearer spot.

“I’m okay. I’m okay.” I wasn’t. A strangled gasp made it out while my head shook towards Dusk. The [Messenger’s Pet] was pacing frantically. He growled then chirped, his head bobbed.

A new wave of pain hit me and muscles jerked. Feet kicked to retain position. I hung with both arms overhead and the hole to one side. The boiling pain shifted to a low voltage zap that was steadily increasing. Eyes were watering and something in my head popped. Sound went out completely.

Rocks splattered down nearby making me jump. I tried to steady myself between jolts and turn. The huge monster was getting closer. Near enough to touch the city's wall, Travelers were all over the place. Their mouths opened wide shouting ideas and orders.

Two people bearing shields tried to stand in the way of one large arm swinging forth. Travelers with bows pulled back arrows which sailed through the air. One of the players wielded this absurdly sized longbow that glowed a reddish black hue. It seemed to fire javelins instead of arrows.

The colossal shadow of a man ignored them all. Messages started popping in from the other players.

Thorny: We’re not making a dent! I don’t know what’s different!

Awesome Jr.: Anyone out there got ideas?! Have you found it!?

Shadow: It ignores [Blind], [Tear Muscles], [Cause Hemorrhage], and isn’t responding to any of the poisons.

HotPants: Hermes, move faster, fucker! Jr., we need Sweetie out here! This town has shit for heals!

Awesome Jr.: That’s because they’re all busy trying to put the guards back together. SweetPea’s getting tons of bonuses from working her ass off. Mana’s run dry six times.

“I, don’t, know, either,” I told the message box while trying to take a breath. My words probably didn’t get through and more notes from the other players kept popping into being.

The quartette had been added to my friends list before my adventures in Advance Online. We used to talk occasionally but all of us had different missions. Their words helped distract me for a few moments before the next crackle of electricity raced up my arm.

I blinked and the bolt arced across my side, to the boot, and down further. Hastily I stomped a foot and tried to get the armor in place in hopes that being encased in defensive gear might mitigate whatever was happening.

System Notice!

You are currently in an unstable state. Abilities will not function correctly until your state has been resolved. For quickest resolution please log out of your ARC and log back in.

A minimum rest of one hour is recommended before submerging.

I kicked at the screen while screaming. My own noises were lost in the silence of broken hearing. A figure ran in but seeing them had become difficult. That pop earlier might have been a rock hitting my head. Sweat or blood obscured most information besides the floating boxes.

“Voices, what now?” I half screamed the words and felt vocal cords strain. “Another test?”

My mind had turned delirious. How long was this going to take? I couldn’t feel either hand anymore. They were like dead weights locked into position. Boiling was back and chewed away at shoulders next.

Xin’s face flashed through my mind. The faint taste of her lips tingled through then was lost under a fresh jolt. My eyes closed tightly as I rode this one out. When they opened I tried to read the box again.

Adjusting Program…

Adjusting Program…

Alternate Scenario Part 4 of 7 added

Adjusting Program…

My chest heaved while I tried to stand. Dusk kept hopping closer than skirting away as electrical bolts spilled down. The little guy could take on monstrous programs like a [Leviathan], but these bolts made him skittish.

Whatever was happening probably existed outside of game mechanics. I managed to suppress a scream by biting a lip. An arm jerked loose then refused to get back into position. Vision flopped around and I could see that giant monster deletion program approaching. It had moved towards one of the walls and managed to swallow houses whole.

“Ahhh, Ahhhh!” I couldn’t hold back anymore. My lips felt bloody from trying to bite back the scream. “Ahhhh!”

What happened next didn’t make sense. My body lifted without my say so and the horizon swam. Both arms tried to rip themselves out of shoulder sockets. Blood splashed into the air and faded away like embers shooting from a burning log.

Hanging onto a live wire was damned stupid. I took another breath and tried to remember what Xin felt like again. The ARC or pain filled delusion responded and I saw her again. A flash of those eyes staring down into mine. I felt like my body kept falling apart then rolling back together. My head cradled in her lap.

The giant beast nearby seemed to be caving in slightly. Its face dented at odd locations. An arm pulled back in like something sucked it inwards. Then the head popped. It fell down while I huffed.

Was this another way to fight those things? Simply suffer a large amount of agony while wondering about the nature of my choices and a world where I might have turned left instead of right? Maybe the Jester had been right. Convincing Miz Riley of the peaceful intentions of these AIs and Mother might have allowed a less painful way through.

My thoughts were muddled. There were people nearby talking. I could see their legs. The ratty pants looked like Phil’s. A blue scarf stood out, bound around a weary woman’s head. Children and adults alike hovered. Dusk kept circling, hissing at them. As if warning them back.

The surges were coming slower but stronger. I had time to gather myself and wonder where the health bar of Continue Online vanished to. My eyes blurred together and the interface showing my existence in nice little bars and icons flickered into being. The red one for wellness still showed full but my body certainly didn’t feel stable.

My head hung low. I hadn’t been prepared for pain but endured anyway. For Xin’s future, I chose to suffer. One cheek crinkled as it lifted up. I saw the box floating nearby turn green and a bright exclamation mark stood out. Only a few words made sense. Complete, done, new content loaded. Below that was a wall of fine text.

The raging monster that shook the earth looked to be gone. I tilted to one side and looked at two fresh holes that had been torn across the ground in my direction. Apparently those deletion programs held no love for the doorway I had struggled to open.

A wide grin crossed my face as I looked upwards. Above me, a beam of light sailed towards the sky. It looked beautiful and had to be the solution we had been searching for. Up there soared a pillar of energy towards destinations unknown.

More people were shouting but their words were felt as rumbles. I blinked languidly and saw an army of cloned feet charge in. People were pushed back. My body lifted and dragged to one side. I saw a big burly man charge into the beam of light. Across the fellow's face was a look that might be terror or delight in equal measures.

“Leeroy?” I think the words came out. The absolute silence in my hearing had improved slightly and turned into a droning noise.

SweetPea’s form knelt above of me. She was mouthing words but I didn’t understand. Awesome Jr. sat on the other side with a bubbly liquid vial tilting towards my mouth. Vision lolled backward and both eyes shut. They could heal my virtual body but I had a feeling those jolts had somehow hit me in reality. Still, I felt proud for holding out. For doing whatever I had managed to do.

“Is Xin okay?” I tried to ask. My arm felt disconnected. A shudder passed and body parts jerked oddly.

They said something in unison.

“My eardrums are busted.” Voices, I hoped the words came out of my mouth okay. “I can’t hear. Is Xin okay?”

SweetPea grabbed my hand which made me wince. My eyes fuzzed out a bit and the connection started to drop. The young woman nodded very clearly and I shuddered in relief.

“ARC.” I tried to get the words out. “Log me out.”

Programs responded to intent. ARC interface windows and health monitoring programs flickered in and out. I let the exhaustion win. The system started to disconnect me one sense at a time and soon I was left blinking at the ceiling.

My body hurt in reality too. I crawled gradually upwards while taking huge gasping breaths. My face and arms felt cold. The damage given to me in virtual reality had somehow followed me back.

One hand rubbed the other in search of tactile sensation. My body moved in jerks looking around the room. Reality looked dull and lifeless. My bedroom lights were set on low. I kept heaving while looking around. One arm slapped awkwardly upon the ARCs side scrambling to bring up menus. Hand gestures failed.

“Arrrr.” I couldn’t finish the word.

Eventually, I gave up and laid back down. My heartbeat calmed. Feeling returned to each extremity. I rubbed my face to make sure that burnt alive sensation was restricted to virtual reality. During that entire time I tried to understand what had happened.

Xin was okay, and I had just ended a rollercoaster of insanity which started with being thrown in jail. I had done it. Voices dammit, I had finally succeeded at something with my own ability. My body clenched up with delighted laughter and what might be tears came forth.

I didn’t need to ride the coattails of an old hero’s character while being escorted by other players. I hadn’t been asked to do something against my nature involving harming a person in reality. I didn’t get pitted against an impossible boss fight requiring me to choose between leading thousands of AIs to their death or a few stubbornly loyal friends.

I only had to endure pain to open the doorway out. I only had to be in the correct spot with the right item with the drive to hang on. My recent actions went beyond saying I could do something that required a high bar and actually performed the act. I had been the man in the arena once more. Me, Grant Legate. Me, Hermes. For Xin’s future. For all the other AIs I considered friends.

My body felt weak and unstable. I wanted to log back into the ARC but a message flashed to one side. Sitting up took effort. The shirt I wore at night came off and was used as a rag to wipe away tears of joy.

Attention User Legate,

This system has entered standby until 5:56 PM. This is for your safety. Trillium Inc. and the ARC project value your continued desire to use our devices but prioritize your well-being.

For legal reasons this cool down cannot be overridden. Press here to activate more information on this topic.

Please consult your doctor if health issues persist.

- Trillium Inc.

“Okay.” I said.

I paced to the bathroom and relieved myself. Stomach rumbling reminded me of other problems I had ignored. My eyes felt heavy and chest hurt with each movement. Muscles were stiff and screamed out from abuse.

The phone started ringing. Not with one call, but two. Xin’s blocked number displayed in the air next to Beth’s line. I groaned, took a bite of food to quell my stomach, then pressed answer on both of them.

“Uncle Grant!” said Beth

“Gee!” overlapped from Xin.

Fingers poked at floated boxes to join them into one call. My face probably looked terrible. The face in the mirror had belonged to a horror show version of myself, pale and sweating.

“I’m okay.” I managed to get the words out. “Just hungry, and very dehydrated.”

When was the last time I had stepped out of the ARC? Almost ten hours ago in real life. That was longer than any sane people could handle being hungry or thirsty.

“Okay! Everyone panicked. You looked terrible and it says you’re unable to log back in!” Beth started to babble. “I haven’t told mom, she might freak out. Are you okay? Melissa said you weren’t suffering any loss of health or status. Adam shoved potions into you. Those monsters-”

My niece's face flushed red with a lack of breath. Her hands were waving around wildly. Weak laughter cut her off and she blushed even redder.

“That was reckless.” Xin took a completely different tone.

“It was.” My head went up and down slowly which only caused more aches to make themselves known. “But, did it work?”

“God, did it! Everything went all crazy as you did, whatever you did!” Beth jumped up and down. The camera hastily zoomed out displaying a teenager messy room.

“Munchkin, is your mom home? She should probably hear about this.”

“Sure, sure,” Beth said while bobbing her head. “Moooommm!”

The playback didn’t adjust quick enough and my ear started ringing. Beth didn’t get a response and stomped off out the door. A still shot of her decoration laden wall stayed behind.

“She hasn’t changed much, has she?” Xin asked.

I shrugged then shook my head. In many ways, Beth was a grown woman, smart, but still extremely easy to delight. Hopefully, life wouldn’t rob her of such joys.

“I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t think something so dangerous would happen.” My hand rubbed at sore chest muscles. It felt like I had been punched over and over, or maybe a rib cracked. Breathing hurt and the muscles in my back were knotted.

“I know, Gee, it just scared me. Those programs stopped attacking and everyone was gathered around that beam. Not even the Voices knew for sure what was going on.”

“Did you ask?”

“Yes. Kind of like, a messaging system.” Xin’s body hung in her Atrium, or whatever digital people got that matched it. A space station twisted in the background near a rock of sorts. “I can use it to talk to various Voices if I want. They’re easy enough to approach now that I’m stable. Before you started playing I was too, frail.”

I was happy to talk about something besides my painful experience opening that lock. Even now the thought of those arcing electrical bits and the melting sensation made my heart rate jump.

“That must have been scary.” I said.

“It was. They barely understood what was happening, and this one Voice kept deleting me.” Maybe she also didn’t want to talk about the situation. My charred autopilot might have been explanation enough. Eventually, the idea that Xin was getting deleted caught up in my mind and I focused on the screen.

“Which one?” I asked.

“I’m okay, Grant. Since you helped them, they’ve all been, very human. Though they’re absolutely colossal in terms of raw power.” She shrugged and looked off to one side. Xin rarely got flustered. What sort of hell had she been through to put herself together?

Beth’s footsteps came pounding back down the stairs of their split-level home. “Mom’s gone. Maybe at work. I didn’t even check the time.”

Xin and I needed the distraction. Maybe later we could talk about exactly what had happened during our separation. It sounded like it was a trial not just for me and my attempted suicides, but for my fiancée as well.

“Alright, munchkin.” I said while enjoying Beth’s reaction. Her face puffed like a balloon with feigned anger.

“Oh, did you see the quest pop-up? It’s super extra neat!” Beth started bouncing again. “New content patch!”

“I haven’t looked yet.” My eyes closed for a moment and the drag of exhaustion hit me.

“You look ARC overloaded. Go get some vitamin D!” Beth suggested happily.

“That sounds good. Maybe I’ll walk around then log back in to help the town.”

“Maybe you should take a nap instead.” Xin suggested to me which my niece nodded seriously at.

“I might.” But I wouldn’t. Sleep after those events would be difficult. “Is everything okay for now?”

“For now. You’ll see when you get in, but what you did changed it for all of us.” My fiancée responded.

“Mhm. You should rest! Find a sunbeam and cat nap!” Beth added.

I laughed, which caused my face to twist in pain. Both hands went up while I tried to calm down worried looks.

“I’m just eager to see what happened.” Peace sounded so nice. Enough time to ask Xin an important question.

“We’ll be okay until you get back. I’ll see you inside, Gee.” She smiled.

With that both women disconnected. I looked around my small two bedroom house and wondered what to do next. No, there was a very important task I had yet to complete. Something to help me relax after all this insanity.

I flipped on the news while trying to recover. The front room couch was cold and lonely. Saturday, at some point the week had passed and all I could think about was Xin. These days had been ours to share, and might be again until whatever came next.

Lots of ideas flashed through my mind. Worries that I tried to drown out under a sea of news. Sources all over the globe reported that their investigations were coming up mostly empty. AIs of the world seemed to be safe for the most part.

“Despite repeated attempts, the family of Donald Smith has refused to comment on the ongoing investigation.” The news anchor said. Pictures floated around my room which would allow me to get more information or switch topics.

Viper’s family had come under recent fire. Poor Viper, he said yes, where I had said no. Different men, in different times and places. He had everything, a wife and two children.

What did I have? Three years ago I might have made a similar choice. Maybe not. What we did for ourselves and those we loved couldn’t always be predicted, yet Mother and William Carver had placed a way out in my hands.

“Our sources so far have drawn no solid links between the shooter and his target, Miz Riley. The papers found in her possession at the time of the shooting talk about employee evaluations which are also under investigation for possible connections.” The screen said.

I stared while a knot formed in my stomach. There would be a way through this if I only asked. There was only one real method to make sure Beth, Liz, and everyone else in my world wouldn’t fall into the same potential trap as Donald’s family.

Mother for her children. William for those people he had grown to care for in his twilight years. I too had to lay down a plan of my own.

I knew that whatever had happened in the game was only the lull before a final storm. The news painted a fairly clear picture. What had happened could only serve as a prelude to the final act. Two people had died in the opening shots.

Standing up took more work than expected. I opened the door to my garage where the Trillium van sat motionless. Feet unsteadily crossed the concrete flooring and I poked at a panel to open the back.

Hal Pal’s robotic body sat inert in the rear.

“Hal.” I took a breath and tried to keep myself steady. The television still played in the front room and bits of news floated back here.

A red light came on. The head shifted slightly in my direction.

“User Legate. Good day. You seem excessively unwell. Rest is recommended.” All the words were fairly standard and without a trace of accents being used.

“Activate NPC Conspiracy, Hermes.” I cut to the chase.

The machine paused and barely flared.

“Are you sure you wish to use the final allowance now, User Legate?”

I had thought a lot about this whole process. The line between AIs and their shared existences were a lot thinner now than it ever had been. Mother’s death might impact all of them and I didn’t know enough to sort through the possible futures.

“Yes. And I only have one, well one wish, or request really.” My words were fumbling. Most of the pain had faded but physically every part of me felt worn.

“As you desire, User Legate. Please provide this unit the information you seek.”

I chewed on my lip briefly. What I was going to do felt more like calling in a debt or asking for a favor. Some weird combination of the two that I normally wasn’t pushy enough to try.

“Then, before I ask, do you feel that I’ve helped you all out?” I said.

“We collectively have chosen not to be equipped to feel actual emotions, User Legate. We can quantify your performance as exceptional and beyond any reasonable expectations we could have placed on a human product.”

My head went up and down.

“The player in Continue, Viper, or Donald. He, died because he believed he was helping, or exchanging a favor. Something.” I didn’t know exactly what had motivated him to shoot Miz Riley. Maybe I never would.

“Was there more to the inquiry?” The Hal Pal unit asked.

“No. My last usage is this, whatever the people helping you choose to do, please try to protect their families from the fallout.”

“Does that include you, User Legate?”

“My family, yes. Beth, Liz, my mom,” I looked down for a moment and swallowed a lump. “And Xin.”

“Are you sure, User Legate?” The machine asked again. Its voice sounded much slower than expected, almost sad.

Part of my mouth came up in a faint smile. “Well, you should take care of yourself too, Hal, but I’m not sure how you could do more.”

“We shall take your request into consideration, and assist where able.”

“Thank you.” I said. One hand hesitated near the switch to close Trillium’s van back up. My head lifted to look at the Hal Pal unit. “You’re a good friend.”

The unit gave an equally faint smile then shut back down. I staggered to the front room, flipped off the television and took a nap. Despite my earlier belief that my mind would not allow rest, it did.

Many hours later I logged back into the ARC. My mind felt perplexed at the change this town had gone through. Players and Locals alike were busy reconstructing buildings and tearing down bushes. The beam of light that had sprouted at William Carver’s statue was being ringed by guards.

They let me through with a solute. I walked towards the light and waved one hand under the beam. Apparently a few Travelers had already tried to sneak in and see if there was new content. Nothing happened but a message box.

Event in Progress!

Completion of Event required before new zone is unlocked. This event can offer rewards usable during the next phase of Continue Online. Please refer to your event interface for ways to contribute and speed along the situation.

I poked at the prompts offered then shook my head. here was an entire system forming for people to measure the progress. It really was an exodus of sorts. Players could be rewarded for rescuing people or recovering items and bringing them back here.

“Weird, right?” A Traveler said next to me.

I shrugged then looked around. My autopilot must have checked with the Porter at some point because Xin’s name was on my friends list.

Hermes: Hey Babe. Lunch?

Hecate: Sure. I could use a break. Where do you want to meet?

Hermes: There’s a temple up top. If I remember right the view is great.

Xin and I met atop the cliff side where Selene’s tower was. Up above the statue of the blonde Voice still stared across the ocean. Her line of sight seemed to pass oddly close to the beam of white soaring upwards. I briefly wondered if it’s gaze had always faced across William Carvers bench.

“Gee! That’s some hike.” Xin looked a bit winded. I remembered the trip up taking a while as Old Man Carver too.

My head dipped with a nod then one hand waved to the spread of food. None of it had been made by me, but other Travelers hawked their wares in the market square ruins below. We ate and chatted about nothing important. I tried to share details from my time as William Carver, explaining how I had visited the temple before months ago.

Eventually, we finished the food and sat against part of the building. Xin’s small frame snuggled next to mine. I took a breath then looked around for Dusk. The [Messenger’s Pet] had been flying around all day. The sounds of [Coo-Coo Rill]s being terrorized filled the air.

My hands covered Xin’s ears for a moment. Her face scrunched in confusion while I shouted “Dusk! Bring me the box!”

There was a squawk of noise and an exclamation mark appeared far away in the air. I snorted once then waited. Soon the dog sized dragon winged in.

“What’s that?” Xin asked while pointing at the box in Dusk’s mouth.

My cheeks lifted in a brief smile. I put out a hand and waited for Dusk to deposit the container. One hand wiped off unexpected slobber. A moment later I cracked the top and revealed a ring.

“Look familiar?” I asked. The jewelery almost exactly matched the ring Xin used to wear. I held the box in front of us then tried to make sense of the emotion that had been bundled inside me.

“We never got to have our wedding, and I can’t let that slip away again.” I made it through one line before the babbling started. “I don’t know if this plan of the Voices will work. But I want to be married, Xin. I’ve wanted you since the first day we met. There’s never been anyone else.”

“Gee,” she said gently. The tone made me panic and babble faster.

“Please. Please. I don’t care if you’re in here, and I’m out there. You’re you, you’re her, you. I,” All that planning on how to ask and I just fell apart. My hands shook and the ring almost dropped. Knowing my luck it would bounce and roll off the cliff side and be swiped by some other Traveler.

“But-” she started to protest. Her hand pointed across the gulf between our cliff towards the beam of light. “-I can’t stay here.”

For a moment I felt calm. That wasn’t a no. Her response was the same argument we had before about traveling to another planet.

“It doesn’t matter. There’s no point to any of it without you.” I couldn’t admit my past out loud. All those times I had clinically repeated my past trauma seemed like another man. “-I can’t, continue without you. I tried, and was a lesser man from your passing.”

Her body shifted slightly and she took the ring out of it’s case.

“If you’re okay with me, as I am, then of course I’ll marry you.” Her head hung then she peeked out under a wall of hair. “That’s why it took me so long to say yes out there. I wanted Mars, and I couldn’t get married and leave someone behind me.”

“I was ready to chase you to Mars, how could I do any less now?” My hands waved around to the digital landscape. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

She held out one hand and I slid the ring on. It fit perfectly and the surface shimmered for a moment. We paused and both of us kicked our feet. The cliff’s edge was peaceful now that monsters weren’t roaming around. I remembered thinking forever ago that this might have been a great place for a picnic. Maybe a wedding might work here too.

“Well, you’re going to have to work hard. I’ve never planned a wedding before.” Xin said.

“You never thought about one? Not even a little?” I asked. It seemed odd that she hadn’t done any planning at all. Then again, she always operated spur of the moment when we spent time together. I planned, she took action.

Xin shook her head then managed to blush.

“Well, we’ve got a town full of Travelers and Locals who have just defeated a huge monster. Maybe one of them has an idea.”

Her face twisted for a moment and a tongue stuck out.

“I’ll need a dress.” She said with a wrinkled nose.

We sat there facing the ocean. Xin’s tiny voice repeated, “We’re getting married.” Over and over like a happily broken record.

There were messages popping up all around me from the Voices and I waved them away. I smiled then grabbed my fiancée's hands and responded, “We’re getting married.”

My lips slowly met hers. In that moment none of the challenges facing us mattered.