The Reader's Request Book [REQUESTS CLOSED]

Plot Holes - Part 1 of ?

"Uh... well... don't be mad," Ronnie nervously spoke.

"Well, that's already a bad sign," the half-demon responded, turning to the young man with a raised eyebrow.

"You know how we said the others were trapped in the simulation?" Ronnie continued. "Well... I mean, that wasn't a lie. Alis, Apple, Rose and Seth are all trapped there."

"Olive and Sloth are infected," MFR cut in. "It's the whole reason the other four are trapped."

Holding out their hands in a "WTF," expression, Red stammered something incomprehensible before sharply pivoting on the spot and raising their voice to shout, "And you're only telling me this now!? Why the hell didn't you open with that!?"

"I think they might be mad," Ronnie stated the obvious to his friends.

"Yeah, 'cause the bright red tail whipping around doesn't give that a..." MFR's joke was promptly cut off as Evan elbowed her side.

"You said you'd been there for over three weeks!" Red accused, their eyebrows deeply furrowed. "How long have they been infected for!? How did they get infected in the first place!? Don't you dare tell me you just touched the toxin as a joke, you all know what happens, you've read three consecutive stories about how bad that ends up!"

"Look, we get it, we messed up," MFR interjected. "We... I... it was my idea in the first place, to go in without you. Thought where I'd written some stories of my own, I'd know what to expect somehow. I should have been more careful."

"None of this is your fault," Ronnie gently reassured. "We all agreed to go in. We all should have been more careful."

"I should have looked out for you more," MFR shook her head, "It wasn't the fun-filled adrenaline thrill I'd convinced myself it'd be, and I put everyone in danger because of it."

"It was all going fine, you were doing everything right," Evan argued. "I shouldn't have convinced Olive and Sloth to explore with me. If we hadn't wandered off, none of this would have happened. And they..." Evan's words trailed off, before begrudgingly looking up to Red, whose expression had visibly softened. "I f*cked up, okay? I'm sorry. If you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me."

Gazing between their three friends unblinkingly for a few moments, Red exhaled slowly. "I'm in no place to be judging anyone here, or blaming anyone, for that matter," they sighed. "The only reason I found out about how dangerous this stuff could be was because I was stupidly curious enough to go out and do it all myself. Granted, you should have listened to the warnings and learnt from my mistakes," they lightly scolded, crossing their arms like a disappointed teacher. "But that's a conversation we can have for later. I'm not mad at you guys, I'm just... well, worried, to say the least. And I'm going to need some direct answers here, because what you say next is going to determine both how and if we can get out of this situation, okay?"

The other three nodded.

"I said earlier that ego sickness can't exist in this universe. That fact hasn't changed. But the things that ego sickness can do to someone... well, that can still hold up in this world. Olive and Sloth's parasites would pretty much be put on hold if we got them back home, but if they're going to keep any injuries the parasites have caused. Same with the others, if they're severely injured, then we're going to have to sort that in the book world first before bringing them all home." Turning back to the drawer, they finally picked out two pens, both similar in appearance; sleek, silver, fountain pens, with clear glass vials attached that allowed writers to view the ink levels. One was empty, while the other contained what looked like liquified opal, iridescent and reflective colours of all hues speckled within an ebony black suspension. The half-demon kept the filled pen but replaced the other before closing the current drawer and asking, "So, are there any significant problems I should know about because of all this? Does anyone need medical attention?"