Wail

No one can say when the fortune-teller leaves. She just seems to fade away at some point while we're arguing and discussing our manipulated futures. I suppose the game could have simply removed her, after she'd inflicted her damage. Maybe she was an NPC who came to the end of her script.

But honestly, my mind is on other matters.

My heart still shudders with terror every time I think the word: marriage. Part of me wants to dismiss it. I mean, I still don't think a computer can predict the future. However, this AI is probably willing to manipulate and force a future. As can been proven by Morgan and their sudden lack of inhibitions. (This very moment, they're off with Kerda doing God knows what.)

For his part, Vladimir's freaking out less than I am, but the news has definitely rattled him. He tried to rationalize it as being only an inconvenience as he respawned losing some of his progress. But this started a long discussion about what happens to dead players now that Katie is in charge. Several of the party has something to say on this score, but the most concerning is the information Kerda imparts.

She knew people who died both before and after the crash and she tells us, "It used to be, when you died you'd respawn pretty much instantly at the last town or village you visited. It was a huge pain in the ass, especially if your party was in the middle of a dungeon, but it meant they were somewhere safe and they knew exactly where they were. The system would also inform party members where the player went. Since Katie however, that alert doesn't come. At least, it didn't for me when several members of my party got killed. Also, if it worked the same way, I should have encountered them in Givinghead. Although, the town had changed, so maybe they were sent somewhere else."

This along with similar accounts by Morgan and Bronte, gets everyone stirred up. 

Once again, Astra takes charge and sets the party in order. "Look! There's nothing we can do about any of this right now. We've eaten and re-energized ourselves, so we should get going before our Life Balance starts deteriorating. My enhanced intuition is at least something good that came out of this." I don't entirely agree with her, since her ability directed me to the marriage card. I suppose it's better than the death one, but I'm still not so sure. She goes on, "I'll try and use it to guide us as well as I can. But we all need to watch out for Morgan. They might put themselves at unnecessary risk. Also we can't forget Kerda's strange prediction. She's going to get covered in honey, so... I don't know... watch out for giant bees. Otherwise we should just keep on as before. We still have a mission to complete."

By the time we start off again, the sun is coming up and the forest is alive with slow insects flitting around the brush and birds chirping in the trees.

I find myself walking up front with Astra. 

She says, "Look, I'm sorry about the cards. I thought that one would work out best."

"It's not your fault," I say, trying to mean it. "Not much of a choice: marriage or death."

"I understand it's shocking news, but can I ask? What exactly do you have against marriage?"

"Nothing. Not really. But were in a medieval game. In those times marriages were often arranged—agreements for money or strategy. I don't want to find myself married to some brute—heck, I don't want to find myself married to some prince charming, being a piece of property with no role but to bear children."

Astra laughs lightly. "Well, I don't blame you for not wanting that. But you're forgetting we're not in medieval Europe. We're in Feronia. For all it's problems, it's pretty egalitarian about gender. And I don't even think a player can get pregnant."

"I guess you're right." What she says makes me feel better, until I remember something. I say, "Although you're forgetting one important thing... Katie." If anyone can make marriage into something horrible, it's her.

She grimaces and doesn't say anymore.

After a couple of hours, the forest thins out. The trees become more spaced and the terrain starts to resemble overgrown meadows, with weeds up to our waists. Astra has found a track but it's not very wide, and my hips brush up against the sweet-smelling but prickly plants. It mostly just green tangles, but now and then a stalk grows up above the brush and a large orange flower that has a bit of a lotus shape.

We come over a hill and see five figures by a clump of the orange flowers. For a split second, I think they must be other players or some NPCs. But then, I notice the antennae and the strange coloration of their bodies. I squint for a better look, and realize they look like naked women except their skin is made up of alternating bands of yellow and black.

Bee girls?

Dang! I remember Kerda's fate. I hit Detect.

Dang! This is how it happens!

I shout out a warning, but it seems like everyone has already clued into what's about to happen. The bee-girls buzz over to us. Their wings pick them up a foot or two off the ground. It doesn't appear as though they can fly higher than that. We assemble in attack formation with Astra, Kerda, Bronte, and me trying to shield Morgan and Vladimir. 

I let lose with Wail, but it seems to have no effect on them.

I begin dancing, a little self-conscious about the shortness of my skirt, since I lost my panties. Although it wan't as though the bee-girls were very modest. One comes straight for me, its four upper arms scrabbling in a fury and lashing out with hooked claws. As I swirl and twist in my dance, I notice Morgan hasn't stayed behind the line, and they're attacking one of the creatures ganging up on Kerda. It's not long before party members are screaming for them to start healing.

Another turn, and the monster's claws rake across my back, and I see Astra getting stung. She drops to the ground and her attacker pivots to Bronte, just as she drops one of the bee-girls with her electrified sword. 

Morgan finally gains some sense and backs off and starts casting spells, except the monster they attack follows them, delivering payback.

The bee-girl I'm fighting rears back and slams her stinger into my thigh. Agony shrieks through my body and my mind dully takes in the notification that I made my saving-throw.

I stop the dance and start draining the life from my attacker. In two rounds, she drops dead. The only remaining creature is in a fierce battle with Kerda. She drives her javelin into its gut and kills it too.

I run over to Astra to see if she's okay. After a few moments she can move again. She says, "I'm fine. My joints are just a bit stiff and sore. I'm more pissed about missing half the battle than anything else."

Vladimir kicks one of the bodies. "I'm getting pretty sick of there being no loot. What kind of game is this? I have shit gear and zero money."

Kerda keeps calling, "Hey! Hey!" trying to get our attention. "I didn't get honeyed." I'm not sure if she's relieved or disappointed. "My fortune didn't happen!"

Vladimir picks up on this right away. "Maybe it was all bullshit. Just some mind-game to get us all worried."

"Or those weren't the bees that get you," Astra says to Kerda, staring off into the distance.

I follow her eyes to where six more bee-girls are buzzing above the tall grass and speeding toward us.

"Damn!" Astra says. "These are drones, not workers. Level 6. We are so fucked."

The last fight wasn't fun but we got through it pretty quickly. This group are all higher level than us and will make things substantially harder. But the real problem is were all wounded and have depleted Mystic Energy. We are in no way prepared for this.

Astra is right, we are so bleeped!