I’m standing, bent over and gasping, looking down at a smooth, blank white floor. My breathing, heavy and ragged at first, rapidly slows and evens out. The sweat I feel on my back and forehead vanishes, as does the slight trembling in my leg and arm muscles. My exhaustion melts away and suddenly I feel perfectly fine. 

     I stand up straight and take in my surroundings. The room is large, very large, with a single round curving wall. I turn, and keep turning, and find that the wall keeps going in a circle. It seems to be made of the same white, stone-like material as the floor. I crane my head back to examine the dome-shaped ceiling.  

     It, like the wall and floor is also made of white stone, all save for a circle of space at the very apex of the dome. There, someone has painted some kind of emblem. A large capital ‘V’ shaded in green, outlined in gold, over a circle of blue. Both ‘V’ and circle are surrounded by a ring of overlapping Earths, each one slightly different from the next. The whole thing feels familiar... 

     “That concludes the physical calibration test. All tests are now complete. Are you ready to begin?” 

     I spin around, and a man is standing in front of me. He wasn’t standing there a moment ago, but I feel no surprise at his appearance, for some reason. The man is incredibly bland looking. Average height, average build, unremarkable features. Brown hair and brown eyes and tanned skin. He’s wearing a dark suit, a white shirt, and a dark tie. The only thing that stands out about him is his tie clip, a green, gold outlined capital ‘V’. 

      “Ready and willing,” I answer him after a moment’s pause. My voice sounds odd, but I’m not sure why. 

     “Before you start, you need to read and sign the last page of the contract,” says the man. His voice is low, unaccented, monotone.  

     A floating, translucent blue box filled with text appeared in front of me. 

Summary of NPC Creation Contract with Prisoner C1-G3-B9 

Prisoner C1-G3-B9 agrees to following conditions: 

1) The Prisoner will be under the influence of Verdant World Inc’s proprietary Episodic Memory Suppression technology while testing each game. All knowledge of their life outside of the game will be suppressed. All knowledge of previous game testing will be suppressed while testing a new game.  

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

2) The Prisoner will play their chosen character for a minimum of one subjective year. The Prisoner will not be able to voluntarily log out of the game. The Prisoner will only be removed from the game if they suffer severe emotional or psychological stress. Removal from the game will result in termination of contract and disqualification from further testing and parole opportunities with Verdant Worlds Inc. 

3) The Prisoner may choose from one of a select number of new character races/classes in each game. Range of options may vary from game to game. Once a specific character type and/or ability set has been chosen, it will be locked out for all other successive Prisoners. Order of character selection for all Prisoners will be randomly assigned. 

4) The Prisoner may be required to utilize the new ‘Personal Space’ feature in each game. Prisoners will have to customize their ‘Personal Space’ and find ways to incorporate it with their gameplay. Each ‘Personal Space’ will act as a ‘safe zone’ (limitations of safety from outside game interference depending on the specific game being tested and the nature of the Space).  

5) The Prisoner can choose however they wish to play, but repeated attempts to avoid challenging encounters or storyline quests/missions will result in various character penalizations in-game, and/or automatic disqualification from any further testing or parole opportunities with Verdant Worlds Inc. 

6) The Prisoner may receive bonus content in-game for the creation and development of interesting characters, play styles, and Personal Spaces.  

SIGNATURE: _____________________                     

     I scribble something with one finger where the document asks for a signature, finishing with a flourish. The blue box fades away, and the man appears to come alive, as if he went into a trance while waiting for me to finish.  

     “Thank you. Once you step through the archway and begin your game, the Memory Suppression will begin. You will remember nothing of your life from before that moment, save for this interaction. The exception of including this memory is for the benefit your mental health. Should you find yourself losing your grip on reality, recalling this memory should act as a stabilizing influence. Do you understand? If so, please verbally confirm that you are ready to begin.” 

     “Uh, OK. Great. I’m ready.” 

     The man in the suit vanishes, and behind him, in what was formerly a blank wall, an archway appears. The arch appears to be made of a single span of white marble, divided into sections, each section showing dozens of panels chiseled with exciting scenes between various figures. I drift closer and see those figures are wearing colorful clothing, capes and masks and wielding strange powers as they battle one another. Within the archway there is a glimmering, swirling pool of liquid light. It should be intimidating, but all I feel when I look at it is an overwhelming anticipatory glee. 

     I shrug, jog forward, step through the gateway and --