The open, fresh air and downhill walk did wonders to shift my attitude from crushing to only crippling despair mixed with a small but growing curiosity. The few buildings' windows, glowing against the encroaching darkness, beckoned me as I carefully made my way down the wide path. The little hamlet was nestled in the bottom of a valley that resembled an amphitheater, its rim crowned with seven crumbling ruins.
The path changed from overgrown and unused to well-worn dirt as I began to pass some small farms on the outskirts of the village. Laughter rose from one of the houses, loud and true. I was drawn to the sound, nearly diverting my path to knock on the door, but I felt compelled to continue to the village center. In any other game, the laughter would have been triggered by my proximity, a cue to investigate. I breathed in the cool night air and felt the small pebbles through the soles of my sandals. Basic mechanics like triggers and cues seemed far too simple for a game like this.
I paused, thinking of all the other game-like interactions I'd had over the past couple of hours. This world's details had proven to be indistinguishable from reality, yet there had been multiple situations that were very similar to games I'd played. Perhaps the laughter had been a cue for me to investigate, but the curiosity that had driven my experience so far was still too smothered to turn me around. Continuing forward was easier, so I continued.
The few other farms I passed were lit but quiet, anticipatory. It was like walking through a town in a classic western movie, a town awaiting the final showdown between gunslingers. A growing sense of unease slowed and quieted my plodding steps.
The village center was soon before me, just beyond two old yet well-kept two-story buildings. The buildings were what you'd expect in a European-based fantasy game—stucco, wood, and stone with thatched roofs. While the immediate surroundings were only grass and farms, the humidity and the jungle I'd seen beyond the walls made the architecture a little discordant. A large fire lit the center of the small circle, casting flickering light on the few encircling buildings. Drawn away from the darkness and to the light, I continued toward the fire.
As I took the final step past the buildings and into the village circle, I nearly yelped. A woman, heavily cloaked despite the humid jungle air, stood near the fire, facing its flames, her stillness having kept me from noticing her sooner. She was only a few yards away. I stared at her hooded form, not sure what I should do. Was I supposed to say something? Attack? So far, everything had been hostile, but this seemed like an obvious friendly-NPC encounter.
A minute passed. She didn't move, her focus solely on the flame.
"Uh," I said, the sound so quiet even I could barely hear it.
"Hello." My voice was still hardly audible. I tried a third time. "Hello." Still, nothing.
"Hello!" Anxiety sent the word barking from my throat, deep and bordering on aggressive.
The woman spun to face me so quickly that her feet slipped from beneath her, dropping her to the ground.
"Holy shit!" she swore. Her gaze shifted from me to the fire, to herself, and back to me. "Fuck," she hissed.
"I am so sorry!" I yelped, rushing forward. In my haste, my right foot clipped my left, sending me into a tumble. I landed on the ground hard, my three hundred sixty pounds crashing to the dirt with a heavy thud. Unfortunately for the woman, my momentum rolled me until I was halfway on her. I immediately flopped off, desperately trying not to squish her worse than I already had.
"By the high," she wheezed after a great gasp.
"Oh my god," I said, trying to scramble to my feet.
She quickly scooted back on her hands and heels, warily staring at me as if I'd fall on her again… which was fair. I could absolutely see myself falling on her a second time in an attempt to help her up.
Her face was shadowed under a heavy hood, and I couldn't make out her features. I took a step back and raised my hands. "I am… I am so, so sorry." I stammered the hollow-sounding words—the best I could muster with my heart pounding against my lungs.
She eyed me for a moment before rising, her heavy cloak making the whole process a tad awkward. I stepped forward to help, but stopped when she flinched back. She stood and brushed herself off.
"That didn't go as planned," she said, her tone making it clear she was mostly talking to herself.
I frowned. My landing on her should have hurt her worse. Deciding to just be happy things didn't go worse, I asked, "How was it supposed to go?"
She sighed heavily. "You are supposed to appear next to the fire, and I am to greet you." Her hands withdrew into her cloak, and her back straightened. Her whole demeanor became much more domineering yet entrancing. Her voice matched the change, orotund and filling the small village circle. "Fear not. You are safe." She paused, giving the words a moment to sink in. "Welcome to Ascension. I am to be your guide."
"Why would I be afraid?"
She gestured toward the fire. "One appears near the flames because they have just been killed… violently." Her voice was back to normal, pleasant but not very distinct. She sounded like an average person, but with a slight, hard-to-place accent. I was a little surprised that Dev hadn't done more to make the NPCs' voices and word choice more archaic.
She shrugged. "Well, that's what's supposed to happen. I knew there was a chance one of you would get here without dying, but it was so very slim. Guess I should have been more ready."
I furrowed my brow. "Wait, what do you mean 'one of you'?"
"One of the Players."
My brow creased further. Having the NPCs know they were interacting with the player was strange enough, but that wasn't what worried me most. I pointed to my chest. "I'm the player."
"You're a Player, and not the first I've greeted. A dark-skinned man beat you here. Although he did come through the expected method."
I slowly lowered my hand and raised my head, staring at the twinkling night sky. "Dev, did you… am I not the only one in here?"
"I know of no god called—" the woman's words cut off abruptly, and she took a quick step forward, her voice growing quiet. "Are you praying to The Developer?" She whispered the last with a reverence I'd only ever heard in documentaries about cults.
Had Dev set himself up as a god in the game? I supposed it made sense since he was literally the creator, but it still seemed strange.
When I only stared, the woman gripped me by my arm and continued. "While all acknowledge the supreme divinity of the One Above All, he is not one to be worshiped, and certainly not one to invoke through prayer. If it is power, blessings, or an affinity that you seek, worshiping one of the other gods would serve you much better."
I could just make out the woman's eyes from within her hood as they narrowed. "How is it that you know of the One Above All? No player should have that knowledge so soon after revival."
Again, she spoke as if there were multiple players within the game. Had Dev created other NPCs that acted as players to make the game more interactive or real? My heart quickened, a sickening thought forming.
"This dark-skinned man, what did he look like?"
The woman pulled away, and a moment passed where I thought she wouldn't answer. My seemingly random question likely threw her off. "He was tall." She looked up at me and tilted her head to the side. "Well, not quite so tall as you, but taller than most. He was bald and looked very strong."
No. Dev couldn't have.
"Where is he?"
"I am here to be your guide, Player. Have you no other questions before—"
"Where is he!" My voice boomed through the still night air.
The woman stared at me, and without another word, pointed to one of the larger buildings. I turned and raced to its door, slamming it open and entering a large room, warmly lit by multiple lanterns. Tables and chairs cluttered the space, with a bar on the left side. A fire roared in a hearth on the right wall. Next to the fire sat a heavily muscled, bald, black man. His head whipped around to face me.
"Henry?" Jeff, the security guard, raised his eyebrows as he slowly stood. "What the hell is going on?"