Artificial Emotion: The second life.

Chapter 4: Uncover the diabolic plot.

Thaddeus having fully recovered from the raid encounter days prior, now spent the next few days lingering around the Widows headquarters helping out whenever he could. Admittedly it looked out the norm for the guild and visitors to see this lone Male in a Female environment, the raggy and tattered clothing he wore compared to the Widows elegant attires also added to fuel to the fire.

Hinatana and Melikra being his only true friends aside from the guild officers made him more at ease, the chemistry of Hinatana's shy polite attitude with Melikra's more brash outspoken one caused all kinds of interesting conversations between the three. Training day for the guild being Monday, Wednesday and Friday were the most interesting due to Thaddeus' fight-style, the Widows would gather observing a zen-meditation progress into a contaminating display of swordplay infused with break-dancing the almost bare feet smashing training dummies whilst others were sliced and diced clean into fractions by the wooden blade. The almost jaw dropping moments were when the games weather was rain as he'd display slicing rain-drops in mid-air with his toes.

"That... was quite a display" Hinatana mustered out with her half-whisper tone.

"That was.... AMAZING!" Melikra blurted out with a scream almost bouncing from awe. Whilst the two spoke Thaddeus simply stood in silence staring up at the rainy sky the darting drop tapping his eye-mask like a ticking clock then finally lowering his gaze with a heaving sigh.

"What's wrong?" Hinatana asked approaching him with minor hesitation.

"I don't know, something just feels... off" he uttered with a blank gaze, "Best we head inside" he later added turning to the pair afterward. A agreement nod from the pair the trio headed into the main headquarter building where all other guild members were sitting, "Why do I feel like an intruder all a sudden?" Thaddeus pondered.

It then occurred to him that he'd just walked into a guild meeting, however before he opened the door the guild-leader asked him to stay even causing her to stand up from her seat. Unlike most guild meetings discussing statistics, goals and overall activity this one raised a frightful fact as the guild-leader spoke, "As you're all aware, the games log-out mechanic has been removed. We are unsure if this is a visual fault in the system or a sick joke by a hacker, but we recommend all members and friends to them to restrain from any form of encounter within the game". The room later fell silent and as Thaddeus scanned the room the familiar sight of plastered fear, unknowing and confusion his mind going over what he said earlier to Hinatana and Melikra.

After the meeting had concluded and members wandered almost like emotionless Thaddeus rose to his feet approaching the guild-officers. "Excuse me council, there is something I'd like to request" he asked standing directly in front of them.

"Ask away" the guild-leader simply answered trying to pull off her normal tone of a positive one but signs of what he had seen around the room moments prior were clear in her tone.

"I'd like to seek out if anyone else is suffering any similar issues regarding the game" he coldly asked with a posture still as stone.

"You've only just recovered from the raid-encounter, it'd be suicide for you to..."

"I don't care about that, somethings a miss and no-one seems to wanna find answers!" the conversation between Thaddeus and the guild-leader gained a minor conflict of opinion. Moments of dead eerie silence past before she finally caved in sighing as she hung her head but oddly a small smile still remained.

"It's not like I can forbid you, you're not a guild member after all. I only ask you stay safe and alive" her last words were before he acknowledged with a determined nod then exiting. The rain having finally stopped whilst the dark clouds remained Thaddeus' eyes darted to over his shoulder to see Hinatana and Melikra following him.