No matter how much time I spent puzzling over my job I still couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so I simply bided the passage of time with my games as always. The amount of money I would be making wasn’t an excessive amount, but it had still been enough to mollify some of my parents’ discontent on the matter; even if I had denied this opportunity and picked out a “real” job nearby, I wouldn’t be any better off. At least for now, I was left to do as I pleased, and I spent it in habitual contentment with my console.

By the time Monday rolled around, not only had I finished the 100% completionist run but the recent rain-laden weather had cleared up as well. The final stretch of the game had been a little bit lackluster and the sky outside was just a tad too bright, but it would have been a lie to say it didn’t satisfy me all the same. I started my walk to Monument in high spirits and they held firm the entire way; even my otherwise dour expression had softened a bit, my muscles relaxed with the faintest hint of a smile.

“Night shift?” Although the front doors didn’t have a chime to announce my entry, I still received the now-familiar voice of Claire in its stead, her eyes glancing over the front desk with curiosity and the faintest tint of humor to her expression. The scent of fast food littered the air, and I could see her holding up a slender fry between her fingers, allowing it to linger before taking a bite. “Looks like we’re opposites, I’m about to leave soon.”

… Why was she being so familiar with me, again?

I glanced to Claire with furrowed brows, though even this sudden intrusion wasn’t enough to really diminish my mood. Today, it seemed as though Claire had taken to wearing Monument’s official colors, her figure subtly emphasized with a light black jacket overlaying a grey-white blouse. She had let her hair down, as well, and the strands settled at about upper-back just beyond the shoulders. A friendly smile remained on her face even after I regarded her with my disgruntled own, and she even gave me a polite wave as I drew away from the lobby and into the A-wing hallway instead.

Odd woman.

A112 wasn’t even properly marked, its number wholly absent from the front of the door; were it not for A111’s own distinct label, I likely would have ended up doubling back further on in the hallway. The interior was near exactly the same as Admin’s had been, too, save for a few key details: rather than a desk, there was actually a VRC already hooked up and thrumming along at the ready, and rather than just one person inside waiting for me, this time there were two.

Admin was only to be expected considering he had set up the meeting, but the man beside him definitely was not. He was tall and lanky, his slender body appearing more like a loose bundle of twigs when paired next to Admin’s stone-like physique, and I couldn’t help but compare the former to a bowling pin and the latter as the ball. The newcomer’s predominantly white attire only furthered the image, an oversized lab coat draping far too loosely over his frame.

“Nice o’ ya ta join us, Moth.” Admin’s voice echoed amidst the bare walls as he gestured towards me, simultaneously beckoning me closer and interrupting the other man mid-sentence. “Ready ta slave away for me ‘til the end of time?” My gaze naturally shifted between the two men and the VRC not too far away, not quite able to keep the smirk from appearing on my face at the prospect of what was to come. The orientation from not so long ago showed quite well that Admin hadn’t been singling me out for this kind of rough treatment and I’d been looking forward to this moment for a good while now.

“Something like that.” Just like I couldn’t hide my smile, neither could I hide the satisfaction in my tone, and the once uncertain and apologetic expression on the taller man shifted into one matching closer to my own in his relief. The VRC at home had become an empty shell without Aurora actually being online, and the gentle hum of its presence here began to fill my veins with eager flame. Naturally, Admin took my response well and returned a broad grin of his own, his hand moving out to slap the taller man harshly on the back.

The stranger spluttered and coughed at the unexpected assault, glancing between me and Admin for a few uncertain moments before idly scratching at his scalp. “Ah… my name’s Jonathan. I’ll be—” the man paused before releasing another cough, his face growing apologetic anew, “—working with you from now on.”

Ah? Even though the man’s height was impressive, wasn’t this just too pitiful? The outline of dark circles could be seen beneath his eyes, and although it was impossible to see his physique clearly beneath the coat, his exposed fingers had the skin pulled so taut that each knotty joint was clearly exposed. For the longest moment, I simply stared at him in wonder, glancing towards Admin’s grinning face in confusion as silence reigned.

When it was obvious that Admin had no intention of making this easier for me, I released a light sigh of my own, sizing up Jonathan with an uncompromising gaze before offering my own introduction. “Moth.” Simple, effective, and the man had almost certainly heard what Admin referred to me as before, regardless; my repeating it was merely for show. “What exactly are you going to have me do?” I was beginning to regret not having asked earlier when I’d had a slightly less awkward opportunity, but the situation—paired with the cryptic tasks on the sheet—was not easily endured.

“Why, jus’ what it said on the paper, Moth!” Admin responded with far more cheer than the situation warranted, clearly taking advantage of the situation to milk what remained of my patience. “I think it was ‘race development’ an’ PvE stuff, right? Doesn’ get much clearer.” His grip on Jonathan tightened for a brief moment before he released his hold altogether, the same hand used to gesture towards the man. “Yer s’posed ta help Bones here put new races in the game ready for players ta use.” A glance to “Bones” seemed to confirm this, his nod coming somewhat reluctantly after Admin’s claim. “PvE’s more a side thing, but it’ll give ya a thing ta do an’ keep the combat fresh. Players get bored if the monsters stop puttin’ up enough of a fight, after all!”

The excitement I had felt upon entering the room began to diminish completely, my mood plummeting as I observed the two before me. The job description had definitely seemed more intellectual than game-related, and Jonathan’s presence—clad in a lab coat and everything—only served to reinforce that angle. The VRC had given me some hope I had been wrong, but now the blond-haired girl’s words from last week began to rise once more to my mind, my agitation bubbling over. This is what I had been looking forward to…?

“You’re not being serious.” It was more statement than question, my tone hard as I gave Admin an accusatory glare, Jonathan to the side blinking before seeming to all but shrink in on himself. “I think we both know I suck at this stuff, Matt. You’re not seriously planning on making me do this.” Some of the venom I’d swallowed from before rose into my tone, my words acrid as I folded my arms across my chest.

Even Admin seemed taken aback a bit for a moment, his own brows furrowing in confusion before he released an amused sigh in stark contrast to my own. “Really, Moth?” Rather than back down with it, however, Admin simply cocked his head to the side and looked down on me, working to intimidate me away from my position. Considering the nature of my supposed “co-worker”, it was no surprise he had gotten into these types of habits, but I was no stranger to such bullying tactics; it’d take more than this for me. “I think this is just perfect for an antisocial little bug like you. It’s not every day ya get ta see things from the other side.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The chastisement in Admin’s tone grated on me even more than the words themselves did, and my patience had already run its course long ago. “No more riddles, Matt. I’m done with this.” It seemed as though my parents’ expectations had been right all along and this opportunity was a dud. It was practically criminal to get my hopes up so high only to snatch them away like this, but I wasn’t about to kiss somebody’s boots while they stepped on my face. “Either tell me or I’m gone, money be damned.”

Admin’s relaxed expression began to tighten at that, his eyes narrowing ever so slowly as he regarded me as though in a newly unpleasant light. “Ya get ta be a monster, ya little shit,” he finally said it straight, twisting my displeasure into surprise with only a few words. “Not like I can put someone like you as a shopkeep, and I’ll be damned if ya ever get put as a Helper. Nah, for an antisocial little shit like you, this is the perfect job.”

… A monster? When “NPCs” had been mentioned in the orientation, I hadn’t considered the various monsters roaming the game to be considered the same; they had always been referred to as simply “monsters” or—as far as the lore and NPCs were concerned— “contra-denizens”. That they would have been lumped up in the same basket never crossed my mind, and my anger began to subside just like that, mild uncertainty shifting in its place. I knew quite a bit about Aurora, but this was effectively uncharted territory for me as well; I might have known quite a bit about the monsters as a player, but being one had to carry all manner of differences.

How did their skill system function? How did languages work? Would other monsters recognize me as their own despite technically being a player? Would the monsters themselves be something akin to a normal player’s NPCs? The agitation that had boiled over dipped down to nothing more than a simmer, and a newly relaxed Admin reached out his hand to pat at my head. “Seems like ya understand it now, eh, little bug? Bit slower than I thought.”

Patronizing bastard.

Now that I’d found out that I would indeed be playing the game and that my own input would be rather… curious, I forcibly hid my words and settled for nothing more than a glare while he continued, “See? Perfect fit. Knew it from the moment I saw ya.” A nod followed that, Admin giving Jonathan a sharp pat on the back once again before he sauntered towards the exitway, casting another look over his shoulder in the process. “Every Monday’s a progress report. I expect great things from the two of ya.”

And then he was gone, the warily observant Jonathan and my own half-seething self left to scrutinize each other in silence. It seemed as though he was at a loss for what to say after seeing the altercation between me and Admin, and he self-consciously scratched at his head while avoiding my gaze. Looked like it was up to me to actually get things going along before the night was through.

“I get to actually play Aurora, right?” Though the words were no less unpleasant than when I had been speaking with Admin, Jonathan himself seemed almost relieved to hear them. His discomfort shifted into a wry smile and his eyes drew towards the VRC to the side.

“Yes…. Admin told me to take care of everything else.”

=====

The sweet scent of grass filled the air, a breeze causing the entire field to sway like waves upon a green sea. No matter how far I looked out into the horizon, I could see nature in its pure, unfettered glory, while the loamy soil below offered itself up for me to lie. The sun beat down upon me from directly overhead as well, the harsh glare warming my skin in a decidedly pleasant manner while I relaxed in pure contentment, the familiarity of the scene draining the tension completely from my body.

[How does it feel?]

The message—Jonathan’s query—scrawled through my vision while I basked in comfort. It would be easy to just close my eyes and ignore it for the sake of this sensation, to forget about work for a few minutes, but it was all too possible Jonathan would take it for a lack of receiving the message rather than intentionally ignoring it. I wasn’t about to be pulled from this dream just because he thought the VRC wasn’t functioning.

“So-so.” Rather than the English I was used to, however, the words were released into a garbled unintelligible mess, the “translation” appearing near the server message Jonathan had sent me. The voice itself was low and sharp, the utterance causing my throat to reverberate unpleasantly while I grimaced in response. “Feels off.”

I raised my right hand up to my face, the thick, stubby fingers and light green skin feeling utterly foreign to my sight. A rather weak race with some slight adaptations to compensate for it, the goblin’s green skin had originally offered some camouflage in the fields and forests they made their home, and their body was small but robust in order to even more easily avoid notice. I’d seen one plenty of times in my travels through Aurora, but this was the first time I’d gotten to see the details that went into them without having a weapon thrust in my face.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to fully enjoy the novelty of the situation, and my purpose in the company began to show; although I could see that grubby hand in full detail, actually feeling it was another matter. The tips of my fingers were completely numb and lifeless, and even when I closed my grip, it was difficult to truly gauge the strength I was utilizing. It was definitely imperfect compared to the immersion that had come with my avatar in the past, and it occurred to me then why the race selections had been so limited.

[Is there something wrong with the control?]

A low growl filtered through my teeth without my input, this body giving an unnecessary reaction to even the basest of annoyances. The sound itself caused my throat to ache just as the words earlier had, and I used my other hand to massage at it, simultaneously trying to pass the message and ease the discomfort I was feeling. Even this was partial, small sections completely lacking in sensation while yet others seemed overly represented, and I gave up that unpleasant task shortly after I’d begun.

“Feeling. Touch. Feels off.” Another low growl, another shift of discomfort to break the picturesque scene I had waited so long to return to. It had been dismissable at first, but it was near impossible to actually hold a conversation like this. I didn’t even wait for the follow-up question before I began to log out, and it was with some relief that I noticed the telltale tugging at my consciousness wasn’t any different between now and then; at least leaving this place wasn’t going to be a problem.

My senses momentarily faded, the world growing dark before the steady thrum of electronics greeted me within the VRC’s confinement. A few moments later, a confused Jonathan slowly slid open the VRC’s front to peek inside, his panicked expression meeting my nonplussed own. “Couldn’t feel my fingers,” I began near immediately, simultaneously speeding things along while confirming I was just fine. “It was difficult to talk, too. Too rough, too painful. A lot of spots didn’t feel right at all.”

Jonathan’s brows creased with worry, but he nonetheless pulled out his clipboard and began scribbling it down, his expression pensive and even more exhausted than it had been from the onset. The man really was easy to order around.

“We don’t have a lot of time left before the release, and if it’s like this I won’t be able to play for long. I can barely handle an hour at best,” I outwardly sighed, causing Jonathan’s frown to grow yet starker while I simply reclined myself within. The experience had been criminally short and it had been in a body that didn’t feel like my own, but I wanted more, wanted to explore all that Aurora had to offer me, just as I had in the past.