While they were busting a gut, I took the opportunity to really look at them, and my scan skill kicked in. Their levels ranged in the mid to upper twenties, and they were all missing some hps. These were clearly hardcore warriors, and they had fought a hard fight against the lizard I happened to kill. I almost felt bad, now, for taking the shot from them. Almost.

The leader-who's name, it turns out, was Falco-had me order my lizard around a bit more before he could be comfortable with the situation, but eventually they levered me up out of the dead lizards mouth, and I could finally stand up.

Which is when I realized just how much taller than them I was. The leader was the tallest, and he only just came up to my chest. They all looked up at me, and more than a few grumbled.

“Tall one aren’t ya?”

“Must get a lotta nosebleeds hey?”

“You let us know if it looks like rain now.”

“Least someone can finally look Cantleburn in the eye.”

“Now, now, boys, not his fault he got born into one of them stretched out people.”

The hazing kept going for a few minutes more, until finally they all seemed to have their fill. As they razzed me, they took turns looting the body of the Matriarch, each getting more of the hide, the meat, and one or two getting more gross drops, like eyes or organs. None of them got anything even remotely as cool as the Idol that I had gotten.

“Well, I suppose we’d best get back to town. You heading that way?”

His question caught me off guard, I was busy looking at the body of the Matriarch Lizard, which was still relatively whole. There were places where the hide and meat had seemingly been removed by the system, but there was still plenty. Just as I was wondering if Butchery or Skinning were skills, the corpse dissolved into glitter, just like I thought it would before. I guess it needed to be looted by everyone before it would de-rez.

“I guess so. Unless there’s somewhere else to go around here?” I said the last bit with a little bit of snark, but also hoping to get some clue about my trainer. Falco seemed to catch the snark easily enough.

“No,” he said with a lift to the corner of his mouth that a generous person might consider a smirk, “ours is the only real settlement around. Which begs the question...Where exactly did you come from? Closest place other than homesteads is many miles away on the OTHER side of home.”

“Uhh.” I wasn’t sure how to answer. Without any kind of a starter zone, I didn’t know how npcs would react to 4th wall breaks. Should I mention this being a game? Should I make something up? I must have showed some of my thoughts on my face because Falco again started laughing.

“Don’t worry about it, Archon. Yes, I know your name. Every native you meet will know it. We have been told of your kind coming for a long time.”

“My kind?”

“Yes. The Outworlders.” He said it like it was obvious, like I was slow or something.

“Outworlders? You mean players?“ I could feel the word twist oddly in my mouth, and it came out sounding like nonsense.

“I don’t know the word, but we call you Outworlder. You’re the first to manifest in a generation or more, but the stories have hung on. You come here from another world, yes? A world much different, without magic but with wonders beyond us? I can see from your face that I am correct. But am I also correct in assuming that you have no idea where you are or what is happening?”

I could only imagine what my face must have looked like, but I tried to pull myself together. So, the devs had put in some explanation for players existence. Good to know. The more I played, the more convinced I was that I made a mistake in logging in early. But right now I needed to focus on what was happening in the now.

“Well, lets say that this isn’t what I was expecting. What exactly do these stories about the Outworlders say?”

“Oh, I’m not the one to ask. I haven’t listened to those stories since I was a boy. When we get to town I’ll introduce you to Old Mae. She’s the resident storyteller. She’ll be able to tell you all about the differences between this world and yours.”

***

As we walked into town, I got my first look at a settlement in Archetype Online. It was a Gnome settlement, and I didn’t know how much that would change anything. Would a human settlement have round homes or square? Would elven settlements have a central well, or many? Maybe all settlements used the same game assets? As I was musing about the intricacies of video game city planning, Falco walked steadily into town, despite the crowd that gathered and then parted around us and followed behind. As I entered the town, I got a notification.

You have entered a Neutral settlement [Kazmirath]. This settlement is level 0. For more information on settlement levels, establish or take control of a settlement.

Okay. Add one to the list of questions for later. I really needed to log off. I checked my menu and sure enough, the logout option was still greyed out with a note saying ‘player not yet ready’. Probably had to find an inn or some nonsense.

By this time Falco had led what seemed to be the entire town to a large central building. As the rowdy crowd made their presence known, an aristocratic looking gnome woman stepped out of the double doors on the front of the building and raised a hand to speak. As she did her eyes fell on me and an eyebrow arched. The crowd quieted.

“So, you have returned Falco.” she called out, her voice surprisingly strong for such a soft looking woman. “But you come back not with a trophy in hand, but with a stray. Did your hunt not go as planned?” Falco’s face darkened and he opened his mouth to object, but she continued on over him. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You never did have the focus to lead. A hunt, a village, not even your family.”

I was taken aback by the venom in her voice. As well as the fact that so far, my presence was being more or less ignored by everyone, despite Falco telling me that everyone would know what I am.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“And what do you bring back instead of the Totem we need? A brand new Outworlder, still wet behind the ears. This is the final straw Falco. My backing for this endeavor is officially rescinded. Pay me back the money I fronted for this ill fated attempt, and my people and I will be on our way back to the city in the morning. If you cannot, I will revoke the ritual and take what I can get.”

Falco looked like he had been slapped in the face by a rubber chicken. His mouth opened and closed for a moment before he managed to get any words out.

“This is totally unnecessary Maeve. We have enough supplies to last at least another two weeks, and the beast will spawn again in two days. We can do this. Please Maeve. Just give us one more shot.”

“I think not. We have spent the last two months out in the wilderness building up this sorry excuse for a village. And it’s still level 0! I have seen no return on my investment, and no signs that any progress at all is being made. Perhaps your brother had the right idea. Regardless, my people and I will be leaving in the morning. I wash my hands of all this nonsense.”

“As you wish Maeve.” Falco turned and walked off, taking his hunters with him. I was left more or less alone as the crowd dispersed.

As the people around me thinned, I saw that the woman-Maeve-was looking curiously at me. She approached as I stood there like a lump on a log and held out her hand, not like a handshake, but like one of those old timey, kiss the ring type moves. Rather than be seen taking any kind of side, I simply nodded at her.

“So, you are called Archon? I, as you probably gathered, am Maeve. You could consider me the de facto leader of this...place. It is a surprise to meet an Outworlder all the way out here. I was given to understand that your people only arrive in times of great importance. You seem to have missed the mark here however. Come end of day tomorrow, this place is going to be just another patch of grass on these plains. You may be better served joining me back in the city.” I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off. She seemed to have a habit of doing that. “Don’t answer me now. Take the night. Look around. Give me your answer in the morning.” With that she walked away, not giving me a second thought.

I had played some vr type games in the past, not to mention ALL the MMORPGs. But the way these npcs were behaving was beyond realistic. The coding that went into these npcs was exquisite. It made me believe the rumors that ENIGMA had finally figured out Artificial Intelligence. These people were people in every way that counted.

***

I made my way to the large building Falco had pointed out to me. Supposedly, it was an inn or tavern of some kind. Inside was what looked like a classic pub, with a bar, a few tables, and a very harried looking young gnomish woman running to and fro. Falco and his hunters were there, speaking in low tones over mugs of some frothing blue drink. As I stood there, a few of the hunters shot me quick looks out of the corner of their eyes, or a quick over the shoulder peek. I began to feel self-conscious, so I motioned to the server, and she in turn indicated a small, empty table in a corner.

I sat, and the hunters-who were only one table away-all turned and looked at me at the same time. Falco held my gaze.

“So then, Outworlder, what will you do?”

“Do?”

“Yes. Lady Maeve’s offer? Will you Join her on her return to the city?”

“I don’t know, I hadn’t put any thought into it yet. It may be the best. After all, you said Outworlders come in times of great need. Is there a great need here?”

“In fact, there is. I don’t know if you were paying attention, but this entire town is about to dry up and blow away in the breeze.”

“Yeah, I didn’t really follow all of that. She’s a financial backer of some kind, I get that. But even if she pulls out, the buildings are already there, right? Why would the whole town disappear because she is leaving?” Clearly, my ignorance of the game world was showing, because two of the hunters-the ones that had been the most vocal in my mockery earlier-spoke up with derision.

“Gods above you're dumber than troll dung.”

“Gods below you’re as useless as sand in the desert.”

“You are a bag of iron shavings bud”

“You must have fewer brains than a green slime”

“Is that a sword at your hip? You feeling a little stabby?”

“Oh, he looks a little stabby.”

“You plan on using that sword or just polishing it?”

“Oh, I bet he polishes it plenty.”

“Oh sure, I bet he goes through more blade polish than a regiment of Red Elves.”

“That’s enough out of the both of you.” Falco banged his half empty mug on the tabletop and the other two shut up immediately. Falco then turned his eyes to me.

“It is understandable that you do not know. As an Outworlder, you do not have the same upbringing as us, and your world does not function the same. Something these two should remember.” He shot a look at the two talkers, and they both shut up quick. So a leader in more than just name.

“Archon, in our world, if you wish to start a new settlement, you need three things. First, the people to live there. A minimum of 500 souls. Second, resources, whether in the form of gold or raw materials. Third, you need a foci.” He put out a hand to stop my impending question. “A foci is an artifact that is charged with mana. But, back to the point. When a settlement is officially founded, the founders must provide the resources, and the settlers must be on site. When the ritual is completed, the resources are sacrificed and the gods create the town.”

“And the foci? How does that come into it?”

“Once the settlement has been founded, the founders have 90 days to provide and sanctify the foci for the settlements use. At that time, the settlement becomes a level 1 village, the buildings are fortified, and other enhancements will be enacted based on the nature of the foci used. As you heard from Maeve, we have been here for two months, meaning we have a little over 30 days left to find and secure a foci.”

“And if you don’t?”

“Then the buildings and structures formed by the gods are reclaimed, and the resources used lost. That is why Maeve is backing out. If she leaves before the end of the time limit, she can recoup some of her losses. Only a third of what she put into it, but that’s more than she’d get if we don’t get a foci soon.”

“Okay. IF we get a foci, what will Maeve’s role be in all of this? She’s a financial backer, so does that mean she would be the Mayor or something? What will her role be here?”

“Her role? None, as far as I know. However, as the supplier of the resources to found the town, she was promised a certain return on her investment. Essentially, for the cost of founding the settlement, she was promised a fortune in trade deals. Most of the settlers here are professionals of one kind or another. They were brought here by Maeve on the condition that they give her a cut of everything they produce.”

“So, if we did manage to get a foci and complete whatever ritual to officially complete the settlement, she wouldn’t be able to back out? Her resources would be locked in and she’d have to settle for what she could get from the crafters?”

“Yes well, we don’t know of any other foci, and the Matriarch lizard will not spawn for another two days. Maeve will be gone long before. Sad to say, there is just no hope. The real decision here is whether to return to the capital city in shame, or attempt to find enough resources to reinstitute the ritual once she leaves.”

“Can you not find another settlement nearby to go to?”

The taller of the two who had berated me earlier spoke up.

“This is the frontier, cloudtop, there are no settlements nearby. Closest town is two weeks back the way we came.”

This sparked something in my mind and I nodded as I started to think. I might have stumbled head first into this mess, but it seemed I may also be the solution. I had the Idol, which was presumably the foci needed for the ritual. I certainly wasn’t looking forward to handing over my best item so soon after getting it. The power of that field Boss could be mine, if I leveled up my summoned lizard. But perhaps having these villagers on my side was a better option. On the other hand, I wasn’t inclined to do that Maeve woman any favors. I had only spoken a few words to her, but she had done a good job of rubbing me the wrong way. I needed to talk to Falco.

“Hey Falco, I have a few more questions, but I’d like to see more of this place, if it’s going somewhere soon. Mind if we walk and talk?”