Deception (Part 2)

[This is a Contest Entry for the Royal Road Magazine]

A rapture-like apocalyptic event has transported players of the NeuReality (Neurological Reality) game CONQUEST through a portal to an alien planet inhabited by the Leviathan, a loathsome creature whose insatiable hunger until now has been fed by that world's few remaining souls.

Because of a game overlay, Brittany Parker is unaware that she and her guild are fulfilling the will of this beast every time they complete a quest or challenge. It has become clear to her however that the game parameters have changed due to what she deems must have been a server reset, and they are trapped inside game. She quickly learns that the prospect of an in-game death has dire implications, considering that several of their former guild members who have succumbed to an in-game death still haven't respawned.

After accidentally getting shot in the chest during a quest, Brittany finds herself in a unclear circumstance where she must make a quick decision that may lead to a dangerous situation as a result. She is faced with a choice: suffer an in-game death and hope that she respawns, or allow the Leviathan to consume her soul and become undead.Her choice leads to an unfamiliar and foreign path ahead.

This is Part 2 of "Deception", which is Book 2 of theMulti-Volume Saga "Conquest - A Dystopian Saga [GameLit]". These chapters can be found starting in chapter"V2 - Chapter 44: Uncharted Waters"but can also be read as a standalone story.