Book Five, Chapter 35: Walk of Shame
When I opened my eyes, the sun was setting. I stood on the campus of the KRSL Powerworks Pavilion.
The storyline was over. We didn’t even get a visit from Silas, the Mechanical Showman.
"It's great to hear you had such a leisurely time," Tripp, the NPC who guided us when we first arrived, said. He was standing right in front of us.
It took a moment to orient myself. I looked around. The place was still populated, but it would soon return to its abandoned aesthetic when we left.
We had lost, and in the blink of an eye, we were no longer in outer space. We were standing on a long red carpet while Tripp told us how exciting our trip had been and how important it was for KRSL.
I was so deflated that I could have dropped to my knees, but a numbness in my mind kept me from doing so. I could feel my disappointment, but it was distant.
"Well, anyway," Tripp said, "it was nice meeting you, and if you ever happen to win a trip to outer space again, I guess I'll be seeing you."
He smiled and walked away.
We just stood there for a moment, taking it all in.