I had never heard this voice before. It had a distinct, British accent. I was reluctant to enter because I was fearful that this was another trap. I began to cast Detect Trap again when I was interrupted by something hitting my face.

"Please come inside. There are no traps. If I wanted you dead, then you would be dead already," the irritated voice said.

I looked down at the ground to see what hit me: it was a piece of cookie! I decided to place my trust in the voice. I took a tentative step inside. My body was tense, and I was prepared to run back out the door if necessary. However, nothing happened.

I slowly walked into the tower. I saw a lavishly furnished living room. There was a coffee table at the center of the room and several luxurious sofas next to it. Seated in one of the couches was a middle-aged looking British gentleman with hawk-like blue eyes, beak-like nose, and a stiff lower lip. His dark blonde hair was cut short. His most distinguishing feature, though, was his attire: a red, long-sleeved button shirt with an open collar, navy blue jeans, and dark brown leather shoes. In other words, his clothing resembled the casual wear from my planet! He was holding a small, white teacup in his left hand. I glanced at his caption, and his name read: "Merlin Hubert Jackson."

Once I took a few steps on the red carpet, Merlin waved his right hand, and the door slammed shut behind me. *BOOM*

The host set his teacup on its matching plate on the table. Merlin stood up and said, "I am Merlin Hubert Jackson. I'm also known as HiDeHo77 online." He nodded slightly at me.

I slowly approached him. When I was just a few feet away, I introduced myself. "I am Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, and also known as LEMully online." I reciprocated his curt nod.

My host waved his hand toward the sofa across from him. "Please have a seat and join me for afternoon tea. It is a British tradition," he said with a smile. When I sat down, he also sat and asked, "How would you like your tea?"

"Two lumps of sugar and extra cream please," I replied.

With another wave of Merlin's hand, the teapot moved by itself to pour tea. The sugar cubes floated into the teacup. Then the cream dispenser moved on its own. Once the task was completed, the small plate shifted across the table until it was in front of me.

"That's a neat trick," I remarked with my brows raised.

Merlin smirked. "I am the master of my mage tower. A self-proclaimed Sorcerer Supreme should be able to do at least that much, eh?" he winked at me. "And have some cookies, too," he added. With a wave of his hand, a small plate of cookies floated in front of me.

"No thank you." I shook my head and politely declined.

The plate returned to its spot at the center of the small table.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me. But I ask that you delay asking them until you finish your tea first," Merlin requested politely.

I nodded in agreement. The two of us enjoyed the tea, which was dark and had a bitter taste masked by the sugar.

When I finally placed my cup on the plate a few minutes later, my host nodded. It was his signal for me to start my inquiry. I had thought up a bunch of questions while I drank the afternoon tea. But this one was the most important to me: "Did you ask the Gamemaster to bring me here?"

Merlin smiled. "Yes."

"Why?"

My enigmatic host stared deep into my eyes for a long moment before he answered in a soft voice. "There are many reasons." Before I could protest his evasive non-answer, he held up a hand. "I will reveal some things to you, but others will remain hidden for personal reasons." Merlin stared at me until I conceded.

"Fine," I spat out in disgust.

My host smiled in satisfaction and proceeded to talk. "As you know, this world is a different version of the Earth that we came from. And for the sake of simplicity, we'll call our homeworld 'Earth 1' and this world 'Earth 2.'"

I nodded impatiently. It was how I distinguished between the two worlds.

"It seems that the Gamemaster, for some unknown reason, can exert tremendous influence over Earth 2 and its inhabitants," he said.

"The Gods say that it's purely for their Overlord's entertainment," I interrupted.

The Englishman ignored my rudeness for the interruption. He knew that I was an American and he accepted the rudeness as part of my character. "I have been told that, too," he conceded. "But despite the differences in the two worlds, I'm sure you noticed some overlap in the development of the continent of Britannia. Especially regarding the Arthurian Legend."

I nodded but kept silent.

Merlin leaned back in his seat. "It seems to me that the Gamemaster is fascinated with this legend and decided to keep perpetuating its myth on Earth 2. He also kept the continent of Britannia as the centerpiece of his attention. America remains undiscovered. There are no interactions with the rest of Europe. That's assuming the Overlord allowed Europe to develop at all."

"When the Gamemaster brought me to Earth 2, the real Merlin had gone missing. Britannia was splintered into tiny kingdoms, most of which were the size of fiefdoms. I arrived in London and quickly rose in power and reputation. Eventually, I became the head of the Magic Guild and entered into various alliances with the other professional guilds to solidify my power. I also curried favors with the noble houses. Behind the scenes, I manipulated them into fighting each other and weakening their power."

"Lord Bane's human avatar, Enab, was a constant companion as my assistant. He was fully engage with the constant Chaos that existed within all corners of Britannia. Eventually, the Gods of the Law and Order were fed up with the rampage of Chaos in the aftermath of Merlin's disappearance. These Gods appeared to me in a dream and commanded me to unite the various kingdoms of Britannia under one banner--mine. They believed that this would restore Order and strengthen humanity."

Merlin turned his eyes toward me. He shook his head and sighed loudly. "The Gods may appear well-meaning, but that is a mirage. They are never trustworthy. They are constant conspirators with one purpose: to provide entertainment for their Overlord. We Mortals dance on the palms of the Gods."

I was taken aback by the bitterness in his voice.

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"It took a decade for me to conquer the entire continent of Britannia and bring it under my banner. I renamed the kingdom 'Merlin' to remind my subjects who was their king. Shortly afterward, a major event occurred. It was known as 'The Night of the Falling Stars.' Four cigar-shaped ships landed on Britannia. Their locations were Oxford, London, Southampton, and what you call today the Balmore Farms."

My eyes widened with surprise.

Merlin smiled. "I'm aware that the Gods gave you a mission to unlock the so-called Ph'laen Ruins. They were formerly spaceships. The Ph'laens have visited Earth 1 before. We know them as tall, lanky humanoids with pale gray skin."

"However, the Ph'laens had never set foot on Earth 2 until after I became King. These spacefarers appear to follow something similar to Star Trek's Prime Directive. In other words, they were not to interfere with the internal development of our civilization on Earth 2 and impose their values on our culture unless they had a superseding reason. The reason was the impending invasion of the Zorxilixians."

"The little green men," I blurted out suddenly.

Merlin nodded. "The Zorxilixians were enemies of the Ph'laens. The Ph'laens were concerned that Earth 2 will be conquered and its people enslaved and came to Britannia to offer their assistance."

"I fought them twice," I recalled. "The first time was when I visited the ruins near the Balmore Farms. I teleported into a spaceship and fought the saucer-shaped spaceships. When I defeated the Zorxilixians, I received a huge amount of XP and also a title called 'Defender of Planet Earth.' But somehow, I lost this title," I noted.

"The second time was when a single Zorxilixian launched an attack from a pirate ship against the Southamptonian pier dock. It sent a bunch of mind-controlled minions to attack the city. I managed to defeat it. Lord Bane took custody of the alien and sent it away," I continued. "And that's the last time I've come across them."

"The Zorxilixian you fought was the very last survivor of the assault on Earth 2. When it was no longer on Britannia, the system recognized that the threat was eliminated. It was likely that your title was pulled from your status screen for this reason," my predecessor speculated.

I took a sip of the strong tea. It was bizarre how my encounter with Merlin was turning out. I was expecting to fight him as soon as I stepped inside his home. Instead, I was having afternoon tea with him! However, I realized that sooner or later, I will have to fight him for his staff.

"The legends say that you repelled the invaders and then united the kingdom. Were the legends wrong? Did you unite the kingdom first and THEN repel the invasion?" I asked. "How did you survive their mind control attack?"

The Englishman's eyes suddenly turned hard. His eyes flashed red! And then they returned to normal. Giving me a stiff upper lip, he said, "I refuse to talk about it. All I will say on the matter is that the Gods call these events 'Merlin's Folly.' You can ask the Gods if you wish to learn more."

I was shocked by the sudden change in his attitude. Gone was the confident and arrogant man; seated across from me was a man who stared uncomfortably into his tiny teacup. "I apologize if I have offended you with my questions," I said and bowed deeply to him.

"Eh? No, it's just that these events occurred a few centuries ago. It had been a long time since I thought about them," he replied glibly to hide his discomfort.

I took a deep breath. "How is it that you're still alive? Did the Gamemaster turn you into a demigod?" I asked.

My host burst out in laughter. "My poor, befuddled successor, there are many different ways to extend a human's natural lifespan. Care to take a guess?" he teased.

I stared at his face again. I was suspicious when his eyes flashed red for a split second. I cast Dispel Magic. Dice rolled inside my head and then stopped. "Dispel magic FAILED. Reroll FAILED."

"How foolish!" my predecessor reacted with a hmph! "I am a Level 50 Mage. I maxed out my profession long ago. Your poor magic ability has no chance of breaking my magic."

I winced at his boast. If the man had been alive for a few centuries, and he practiced his magic on a daily basis, then Merlin will have no trouble reaching the pinnacle of his profession. Thus, pitting my magic against his via Dispel Magic was a foolish move. Fortunately, I had more tricks in my bag.

Even if Merlin was Level 50, he was still only a human being. I had access to an even higher class of magic. I closed my eyes and recalled the symbol of Lady Musa in my mind. I invoked her power and cast Unveil! "Unveil SUCCESSFUL. +1,000 XP."

When the illusion was dispelled, I was astounded by what sat in Merlin's seat: a robot! The robot resembled Robbie the Robot attendant, who I met in the Ph'laen Ruins near the Balmore Farms. When Merlin's eyes flashed, I had a strong suspicion that my host was no longer human. But I did not expect to face a robot! "What happened to you?" I asked in a whisper.

"Bbbzzz." The robot became agitated when it realized that I had removed its disguise. Its eyes flashed red again. "You should not have done that, Lawrence. You have made me very angry." The robot raised its right hand.

The front door suddenly slammed open. *BAM*

The robot raised its left hand.

My body was lifted into the air and tossed out of the mage tower! I sailed at least 50 feet and slammed onto the courtyard. The impact knocked the breath out of my lungs with an "umph!" "-20 Health." As I peeled myself off the ground, I cast Minor Heal on myself. At the same time, my eyes were trained on the door because I was concerned about what the robot will do next.

The robot levitated one foot above the ground and slowly exited the mage tower. With a wave of its hand, the door closed behind it. The robot dropped to the ground, and a moment later, the disguise of Merlin returned.

"Who are you?" I yelled.

"Merlin," he yelled back.

"How can you call yourself Merlin when you're a robot?" I called out.

Merlin cast Fly and flew across the courtyard. He landed a few feet before me. "How do you think I survived these last few centuries?" the robot asked rhetorically. "I formed a soul pact with one of the Ph'laen attendants," he revealed.

My jaw dropped. I began to piece the clues together. "When you formed the soul pact, you lost your status as a Player Character. And in the eyes of the Gamemaster, you were not qualified to beat his game and return home," I speculated aloud.

My predecessor nodded.

My mind was spinning from this revelation. "Were you forced to form a soul pact?" I asked tentatively.

Merlin looked away. "I had no choice if I wished to save Britannia. Due to my folly, the Zorxilixians defeated me. At that point, I could either allow the little green men to enslave all of Britannia, or merge with the Ph'laen robot, lose my humanity, and defeat the alien invaders. If I refused to sacrifice myself to save my Kingdom, then I forfeit the right to call myself its King."

His explanation shook me to my core. During my adventures on Earth 2, the machinations of the Gods and the Gamemaster concerned me greatly. As a man who appreciated his freedom, the Overlord was slowly taking away my precious freedom by forcing me to make commitments to the people of Britannia. And here before me stood a man who lost everything as a result of his obligations. Merlin's fate was my worst nightmare come true!

"Hahahahaha!"

I looked up and stared at Merlin. Why was he laughing?

"Didn't I warn you that we mortals dance on the palms of the Gods?" he reminded me. Merlin held out his hand, and a wooden staff appeared. His staff looked simple, but dancing motes of color surrounded it.

I looked at its caption and confirmed that it was the "Staff of Merlin!"

"Catch!" The crazed robot threw his staff up in the air like a javelin. When the staff reached a zenith of some thirty feet, it began to drop.

Recalling my tracking skills as a grade school baseball player, I positioned my body to catch the staff. I held my hands above my head, and my feet kept stuttering back and forth like a penguin as I tried hard to stay under the flight of the staff. After what seemed like an eternity, the weapon almost reached me. Dice started rolling inside my head. And then instinctively, I caught the relic in both hands. "Dexterity check SUCCESSFUL. +50 XP. ACQUIRED: Staff of Merlin." However, before I could perform a victory dance, the staff suddenly disappeared from my hands!

The magic staff reappeared before Merlin, who had a big smirk on his face. He grabbed the weapon and slammed its end on the ground. *Crack* "This staff is soul bound to me. Do you understand what this means?" he asked.

I exhaled a deep breath. I had played enough role-playing games to understand what this meant. "To transfer ownership of the staff, the current owner must die," I replied. My guts were churning at my discovery of what I must do to accomplish my mission.

"Exactly," Merlin said with a nod. "The Gods tasked you with finding my staff. I'm sure you thought to acquire it from me peacefully." He chuckled again. "Unfortunately, that wouldn't satisfy the Gamemaster." Merlin lifted his head and pointed his staff at the sky. He returned his attention to me again. "No, he wants you to kill me. Are you prepared to do it?" Merlin asked in a solemn voice.