Frontier Online

Resolve and Fate Part 27

When the sliding doors shut, Ryan paused, staring at them. 

Did I really just get chewed out by Roman Monte?

Unfortunately for the Titan, the receptionist impatiently coaxed him farther into the building. The hallway felt sterile, different from the somewhat welcoming lobby. 

Ryan shuffled down the hall after the attendant, putting the strange encounter at the back of his mind. At the moment, Ryan was more concerned with the R.N.R.

Unknown to Ryan, all of his wounds had already scabbed over. The Titan held still for long enough that night for his natural healing to finally close the worst of his injuries. It was too late to save the now-red lobby chair, but the giant no longer left bloody shoe-prints in his wake.

The receptionist guided Ryan into one of the side rooms to measure his height, weight, and temperature. Once the attendant- and apparently nurse- retrieved a finger-prick to test for the giant's blood type, he froze.

"This is...your blood, sir?" The nurse nervously questioned the bloody giant. Ryan gave him a curt nod.

Ryan stared at him evenly as the man hesitated. After a moment, the attendant shrugged and chucked the finger-prick back into its drawer. From there, he retrieved an abrasive swab and simply scrubbed some blood off the Titan's arm.

 After that, the attendant told Ryan to wait in the side room while the surgeon and his team prepared.

With nothing else to do, Ryan flicked his hand to summon his AR screen. After a few cursory searches, the giant puzzled out how to log into his game account. From there, Ryan navigated to Frontier Online's forums. 

A message notification blinked in the top-right, over the classic "mail" tab. 

Curious, Ryan clicked on the mail symbol. The screen changed to show three pending conversations waiting for the giant.

[Syrna] (2)

[Urginok] (1)

[Little John] (1)

The Titan prevaricated, unsure whether to open the messages or not. A few moments later, Ryan decided to face the music and opened the messages, starting with Little John's.

[Rydr, first off, let me say thank you! After showing your Vambraces, on-stream divers mobbed the Trials!

Second, do you know anything about what's going on in Grotto? I heard that a Titan-Class was seen in the mines shortly before everything went to hell. As far as I know, you're the only Titan who started in Grotto.

 I know it's shameless of me, but if I could get the details from you on-stream, I'll give you a percentage of the tips! 

As advance payment, let me tell you something juicy. I'm not the only one looking for you. Shining Star members are looking all over for an un-named Titan-Class!]

Ryan read through the message twice, recalling the incident with Little John after the giant broke the strength Trial. The Titan was certain that the streamer was correct. Ryan was the Titan-Class seen down in the mines.

But, what is he asking about? What's happening in Grotto? Ryan shook his head, confused. The news about Shining Star searching for him alarmed the giant, but he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

Unsure how to respond, Ryan opened Syrna's messages next.

[Urginok and I revived in the graveyard. Where are you, Red?]

A few minutes after the first message was another.

[Log back on, Red! Izor is going nuts, and the village is in shambles. Divers and NPCs are getting dragged into the forest!]