The sky was mostly dark, with some pink and orange near the horizon, as I reached the familiar tavern that a sign in front of it named as, “The Ornery Pig”. I had no idea what to make of the name, but I was sure there was a story behind it.
My encounter with the Captain had been less than helpful, to say the least. He had very curtly informed me that if he knew such a thing as Red Rian’s whereabouts he’d have killed the something-something-buggerer himself, but then immediately followed it up by promising me the vast sum of ten gold coins if I brought back his head. I showed him the unique dagger Red Rian had left behind with his severed arm, but the Captain said he’d rather see the tool of Red Rian’s destruction buried and forgotten than kept around like some trophy. The Captain had likely known many of the people whose blood now stained its blade, so I didn’t press my luck. Fortunately, a Rare Items Vendor in the market had no qualms about buying it from me, and, though it was probably worth more, I sold it for one gold and seventy-five silver. I sold the baldric, bow, and iron dagger to another vendor for a measly eighteen silver, which made it clear to me that they hadn’t been worth carrying back and that I should instead focus only on selling rare items that would sell at a higher value. Currently, my coins had no weight, but I wondered if amassing too many would begin to weigh me down, it would be a weird problem to have, to say the least. For now, I was just happy to be back to my usual ‘Equipment Weight’.
Anyway, now I hadn’t a clue on where to look for the “Bandit Lord”, so my only option was to seek out experienced players in the town the next day, but who knew how long that could take? Plus, I ran the risk of being recognised by those of my creepy, stalker-ish fans who knew what my face looked like. I hadn’t actually unequipped my cloak when I entered the Safe Zone, but because of the lateness of the day, very few players had been around, and those who did loiter around didn’t notice me. This, however, all changed when I entered the tavern, clad as if I was ready to start a fight.
Immediately, five people got up from their seats, one going so far as to yell my name. Okay, well, he didn’t exactly use my real name, but he exclaimed, “Oh em gee, it’s Raven-Black!”[1]
I somehow made it to the counter, where I quickly asked to be given a room and an accompanying dinner, but then I had to push the clingy fans away, which, let me tell you, might have required a degree of force that honestly shouldn’t be allowed in a ‘Safe’ Zone.
Two broken noses and one aching groin later, and I was finally allowed to follow the charming serving girl upstairs. The weirdest part of it all, was that the violence only made the thirst in their eyes stronger. I wondered if Past Me had acted the same way around fans, and, if so, I’d most likely just given them what they’d wanted.[2]
At the top of the landing, I spotted the young effeminate man from the day before, who had lent me the vast sum of money that’d bought me the armour I now wore. He was poking his head out of his room at the end of the upstairs hall, likely attracted by the commotion downstairs.
“Oh. Hello.” His voice was soft and gentle to listen to. Despite his manner, I could tell from his gleaming eyes that he wanted very much to come closer and look at me, just like the people now piled on top of one another in various states of consciousness at the foot of the stairs below.
“Hi,” I replied and entered my room, as the tavern girl returned downstairs to serve the other customers.
Before I could close my door, he was there, standing outside the room, partly hidden by its wooden frame.
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“Are you going to bed now?” he asked eagerly.
Gods.
I’d had high hopes for him, but he’d turned out to be just another creep... I sighed loudly in irritation, but he quickly waved a hand as if to dismiss my assumptions. “No, no, no, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that… well… you went to the Hideout today, didn’t you?”
Before I could ask how he knew, I realised that I was absolutely caked in blood and tiny bits of flesh and bone. The metal of my cuirass was smudged with the imprints of death and if my nose hadn’t been completely blocked, I’d probably have retched at the stench I gave off.
I shuddered in disgust. The thought of being covered in the remains of the people I’d killed made me feel vile and awful. I needed a bath immediately, and then to find some way to clean off my armour and rinse my blade.
“Why do you want to know?” I ended up replying.
“Well, I fought them yesterday, and I think two other players did as well, which means tonight…” He trailed off at the end, noticing the blank look in my eyes. “You have no idea what’s going to happen, do you?”
“Considering I was just reset two days ago, and you are one of the only players I have talked to: no.”
“Well, then I won’t spoil it for you. Hope to see you out there!”
Then he was gone.
What the hell was that about? Something had apparently been triggered by enough people going through the Hideout Stage, and, whatever it was, it would happen tonight. I wondered how he knew, but before I could contemplate too much, his face was back between the door and the wall.
“My name’s Jakob, by the way.”
“Is that your real name?”
He gave me a warm smile in response. “No,” he replied cheerfully. Of course it wasn’t... It seemed I was amongst the rare few that went by their real name. I wondered if he had some hang-ups about his birthname. Though, to be fair, I might possibly have been the same way, considering how I’d lost the memory of my real name during the fight with Red Rian and his gang. Or maybe it was random what memories were lost? I didn’t really want to test out that hypothesis though.
“Well, ‘Jakob’, you can call me Aiko. Now get out so I can clean myself up.”
Jakob laughed and disappeared again. This time I shut the door and turned the lock before letting myself fall back into contemplation. I’d likely have to find another place to stay, since this one had been compromised, which, honestly, had been entirely my own fault. I wondered if Past Me had ever set foot in the Forgotten Village after clearing it the first time, and, if so, how had I dealt with my stalkers back then? Just the thought of having people who knew all about me was extremely upsetting. I mean, I couldn’t even remember anything I’d done in the past, and here were all these people revering me for the person I’d once been. It made me feel like being an imposter. At the same time, I also felt very constricted by all their expectations. When I eventually completed this World, I doubted I’d ever return, unless I should happen to die before completing the Trials, which, everything considered, was likely to happen.
What a fresh hell this pleasant place has turned out to be…
I’d assumed from Jakob’s speech yesterday that he was amongst the players who had given up trying to progress, but if he had cleared the Hideout Stage, and knew that we’d somehow see each other again in whatever event occurred tonight, then he clearly wasn’t one to just sit around. It was comforting to know that not everyone had given up yet. Those who just sat idly by and hoped for some resolution to manifest itself were the true losers of this world. I was sure that I’d never reach that point, no matter how many times I died, nor how much of my personality vanished alongside my memories of my past, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. Truth be told, as much as I wanted to return to the real world, I was also terrified of dying and losing my memories again. Eventually, with enough deaths, I’d just be a hollow shell, devoid of humanity, trapped in a world beyond my comprehension, with less personality than the fabricated Husks.
Part of me also wondered if perhaps the people who weren’t progressing did so because they actually liked it here. After all, if you subtracted the horrific people like the cannibalistic Red Runners, then this World was almost pleasant. Almost.
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[1] Yeah, I didn’t know people spoke like that either…
[2] I mean, I won’t judge them if it’s their fetish to be throttled by their idols, but I wished they would leave me in peace and go find another way to enjoy their depraved desires.