02: Not Particularly Civil

I clicked Continue and warped to the last hub I visited, a small Mediterranean-like city of stone. The server was fairly empty, being a weekday and still pretty early in the morning. A few other players filled the area, mingling in the public chat, and, of course, the ever-present NPCs that inhabited the game world were present.

Most players often partied up. It just made things easier for all who were involved. Any players I knew, however, had other priorities to focus on—jobs, families, relationships, and other burdens of the real world—so I primarily played solo. Plus, my freedom allowed me more time to invest countless hours of playtime to grind out levels higher than them in the few short months since the game's release. I was Level 94, and slowly but steadily approaching the current maximum of 100. Easily miles ahead of the average player.

"Now, what was I doing?"

A quick review of my Quest Log reminded me I was supposed to be farming for an item with such a low drop rate that most players didn't bother with it. The monotony of that particular quest didn't grab my attention like I'd hoped. Instead, I wandered around, looking for an unknown goal to focus on. Quests were always being updated or added, so something else was bound to grab my attention, eventually.

Finding myself in a less populated area near the city's edge, I turned down an alley to double back towards the central plaza I left behind. About halfway through, a short figure blocked my path. It wore a tattered, oversized robe hiding its face and limbs. It paced back and forth along the narrow space, dragging the bottom of the robe behind like a tail. There was no indicator to suggest they were another player, and without an option to target the little annoyance and interact with them, it had to be a glitched NPC. I tried to move past the obstacle.

A dialogue box abruptly appeared before my avatar came in contact with the NPC.

"You're not who I'm looking for. Watch where you're going, whelp!"

That’s… rude.

It took a few steps away from me and stopped. I tried to pass again when there was enough space between it and the buildings. Two steps closer, and another dialogue box popped up.

"Still here? Useless… I said, go away!"

"Stupid pest. You're the one who shouldn't… Why don't you get lost?" I grumbled. Without an option to continue forward, I turned to leave.

"That's right, run away!"

The words, issued by some little, insignificant piece of digital trash, its words, hit a nerve. I stopped and marched back to face it, but hesitated. Why did I care about what it spouted off? The thing was just a damaged piece of code—broken. Nothing else.

"Again? Seriously? Don't you have something more important to get back to? A quest? A job?"

My pulse quickened. My grip on the controller tightened. My jaw clenched. Simmering frustration boiled into anger.

"At least I'm not stuck in a dirty alley. Nowhere else to go, huh?" I spat back. Not that there was any point.

More unprompted dialogue popped up.

"Oh? You're not stuck? You? I doubt it."

"You damn little…" I growled at the odd NPC's taunt. "If hubs weren't non-combat areas, I… I'd…"

My threat was hollow. Attacking an NPC was impossible unless the game allowed it, even if I really wanted to. Every game has its own set of rules—fundamental laws the players can’t break.

"You'd what? Look for somewhere else to hide? Maybe even let another chance, another… opportunity pass you by? Pathetic."

"I-I'm not hiding!" I jumped to my feet and slammed my controller down. "I just… Nobody… No one is giving me a chance to prove—" My pulse pounded from the quick back-and-forth argument we were having. Then I froze.

W-wait… am I really arguing with…? How is this even happening? It… shouldn't be able to hear me. This—It isn't real. I'm just… stressed… overly tired, right?

I squeezed my eyes shut and dug the heels of my palms into them. Back in the game, another message waited for me.

"A chance? To prove me wrong? Is that all? *Giggle* Oh, I'll take that bet."

A child-like laughter crackled through my speakers. Then the screen turned off. Only my faint reflection remained on the empty monitor, a pale and wide-eyed face.

"What… the… hell? Was it even on, or was that all… my imagination? Maybe I really should cut back on gaming, but—"

I moved to return to my chair, unaware it had slid back during my outburst. I missed the seat completely. Down I went with a crash. I fell on my ass and smacked the back of my head on the hardwood floor.

Shit!

Sudden pain from my clumsy actions left me wincing. I rolled over onto my hands and knees to push myself back up. My hands slapped against a cold floor of stone.

What?

My head jerked up to view my surroundings. Everything was gone. My room. My home. My world.

Of all the ways to leave, that wasn’t one I’d ever considered or imagined possible.