The small house was warmly lit, not too bright, with an elegantly aged hardwood floor of the deepest brown color. Several leather sofas with ample cushion surrounded a grated fireplace. The burning wood cracked and popped intermittently.

Cozy.

"This is the living room," said Lilly. "And just through there is the guest room for new arrivals. The water closet is at the end of the hallway," she added, pointing to the end.

Lilly and Rowan gestured toward the seats and passed around a tray of small cups of steaming liquid. It looked like tea and filled the entire room with a fragrant, citric aroma.

Andy, Arlene, and Kermit sat on the large couch dressed in their fluffy robes.

"So," Rowan began, shifting around to find a stack of papers that thudded on the table when he dropped them. "There are some orientation materials here that we've been told to go over with new arrivals."

He began shuffling through the papers. It became clear that it would take a few minutes for him to find the page he was looking for.

"Well, while he's getting the material straightened out," said Lilly, standing up, "how about I bring out some more food? I was actually baking some pastries this afternoon."

She disappeared around the corner and came back with a tray full of danishes, fruit jellies, and remarkably ordinary looking chocolate chip cookies.

"Are you players… or… NPCs?" Andy asked, unable to detect anything that might give away their status. The chocolate chip cookies were too close to Earth's culture to be a coincidence.

"We are, as many otherworlders say, NPCs," said Lilly. "We were born here, and we will grow old and die here. But we prefer for you to think of us as people, because that's all we are."

This simulation is so real, Andy thought. Rowan and Lilly are just as real as Kermit or Arlene or… me.

The group each took a treat. Andy grabbed a large, fruit-glazed danish. He bit into it and several layers of hot butter hit his palette simultaneously, followed by a full-bodied cream cheese frosting and the crisp, tart sweetness of the peach and honey glaze. All that and the little hum of regenerative euphoria made it perhaps the best bite of food Andy had ever eaten.

"Holy shit," he whispered under his breath.

Rowan raised his eyebrows as he found the right page. He cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"Yes, first a general introduction," he said. "It's been ages since I've read this stuff… would it be alright if I just read from the script?"

No one objected.

"Ok," he cleared his throat. "Welcome, otherworlders, to the Infinite Plane. This is our home, and it will be yours for as long as you desire to remain here. Your time on the Infinite Plane is yours to do with what you wish, but most otherworlders choose to advance according to the System, a set of rules and laws that govern the distribution of powers and abilities on the Plane, as well as its continual procedural generation."

"Is the System like your god?" Arlene asked.

"An excellent question," said Rowan. "Though the System has an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent status in our world, it is not a god per se. We have many gods here on the Infinite Plane, in fact many new ones are born every day. Gods can be petitioned. They can change their minds. They can be flattered. But the System is an impersonal force that works rigidly according to laws that seldom develop and never truly change."

"Think of the System like laws of nature that govern an individual's ability to access power," Lilly summarized.

"Well-put," said Rowan. "The System has been studied for centuries by our scholars and sages, and the rules of the System were first expressed aeons ago in an ancient manuscript known as The Verses."

Rowan shuffled through a few pages and reoriented himself.

"So the game rules are written as a philosophical tome?" Andy asked.

Rowan let out a gentle, polite sigh.

"Otherworlders, for whatever reason, have a preoccupation with viewing the Infinite Plane as some sort of game. If that is how you must view your existence here, then so be it. The Verses comprise our foundational philosophical and scientific texts. Knowledge of the System and our best understandings of its effects have been passed down through The Verses and various commentaries, as well as class guilds and institutional sources of knowledge. It is a way of life for us. But, if you wish to view the System as a game, you are free to do so."

"Well, we are in a game, though, right?" Andy said.

"Many otherworlders insist that they are, and if that is your belief, then more power to you," said Rowan. "For me, this is simply my home."

Andy noticed Arlene shifting around uncomfortably and forcing a smile. Perhaps his prodding was making her uncomfortable. Perhaps he was being impolite to their hosts.

Kermit was on his third pastry. He wasn't listening at all.

"In The Verses," Rowan continued, "the topic of the System is divided into four subtopics: levels, skills, classes, and feats. And I'll give you a brief orientation on all four. Don't worry, there is no test. This is for your own benefit, and it's meant to be a light introduction. You'll learn more details later."

Andy took a sip of the citrus-floral tea, which combined delectably with the lingering sweetness of the danish, and leaned back into the couch.

Although he hadn't been a hardcore gamer, he had played his fair share of fantasy video games, and he was familiar with many sections of the D&D manuals he used to reference. He had always been fascinated by game mechanics.

This game was going to be a welcome diversion from the waiting room. He closed his eyes so he could visualize what Rowan was saying.

"So, we begin with the most basic unit of power: levels. A level marks your progression in the game. You can spend levels on skill progression or class progression. Everyone open your displays and take a look at the skills tab."

Andy concentrated on his nose and relaxed as the world slowed.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The world grew darker as a series of green texts materialized in the foreground with his name and level in a header followed by a small menu:

Andy Parsons

Level: 0

[Skills]

[Classes]

[Feats]

[Magic]

[Quests]

[Map]

Andy imagined clicking the [Skills] tab and it expanded with a large menu:

Athletics [0]

Armor [0]

Combat [0]

Acrobatics [0]

Sleight of Hand [0]

Stealth [0]

Fauna [0]

Flora [0]

Occulture [0]

History [0]

Empathy [0]

Investigation [0]

Medicine [0]

Observation [0]

Deities [0]

Survival [0]

Deception [0]

Performance [0]

Persuasion [0]

Andy snapped back.

After a few seconds, Rowan continued. "In the skills section, you saw a list of the basic skills followed by the number of levels you have invested in each. As level 0 characters, you currently have 0 levels in all your skills. Usually, you can't have more than 10 levels in a single skill. A skill with 0 levels invested means you will have only your natural abilities to lean on. Ten levels in a skill is generally considered superhuman. Not infallible, but success is usually guaranteed."

"We have 0?" said Kermit.

"Yes," said Rowan. "But the levels that you see listed by each skill only measure the amount of power that you have invested in improving yourself via the System. Any talents and strengths that you cultivated in your previous life are not affected, so you may be able to overcome many challenges at level zero based purely on the skills you bring with you."

"Now, as far as classes go," Lilly said, "there is a list in the class section of the display."

Andy opened the class tab:

Druid [0]

Sorcerer [0]

Monk [0]

Warlock [0]

Paladin [0]

Alchemist [0]

Tactician [0]

Cleric [0]

Bard [0]

Rogue [0]

Berserker [0]

Scholar [0]

Psychic [0]

Fighter [0]

Charlatan [0]

Wizard [0]

"Classes," Lilly continued, "are similar to professions, but they're a bit more weighty. This is the list of classes known to all level 0 characters in our spawn region. You can unlock access to new classes through traveling to different regions and making contact with new guilds. Before you take a class, you must associate yourself with a guild. Usually guilds mandate difficult initiations and typically require members to complete quests in order to earn class levels. Guild leaders alone are capable of giving you a class."

"What benefit do class levels give you?" Andy asked.

"Good question. That brings us to our last point," Lilly said. "Feats. As you put levels into your skills and classes, you will unlock feats. Feats can either give you a general benefit, like higher physical fortitude for example, or they can enable you to perform a very specific kind of action, whether magical or mundane, with deftness. For example, the Damage Resistance I feat, available to level 3 Berserkers, makes you less likely to take damage from non-magical attacks at all times. That's a class feat. For a skill feat, take the example of the Coax Animal feat. The Coax Animal feat increases your chances of persuading an animal toward a given course of behavior, and it is available to anyone with at least 5 levels in Fauna."

"So you unlock feats by progressing in classes or in skills. Why bother with classes then? It seems like they're much more difficult to achieve," said Andy.

"That's the thing," said Lilly, "the feats that you are able to access through classes are generally much stronger, more powerful, and more specialized than feats available through skills. You can generally only have four feats active at any given time, and you can only change them after a full night's rest."

"So even though we might earn lots of feats, we have to narrow it down to four every day?" Arlene asked.

"Yes, basically," said Lilly. "Not every day exactly, but after every full night's sleep. There are ways to be able to prepare more than four, but that's advanced level play. You'll get there. For right now, though, yes. You can only prepare four at a time."

"One last thing about feats," said Rowan. "You can unlock them with skill levels and class levels, true, but on occasion, you can also unlock them by completing certain quests or objectives. These are called rare feats."

It was beginning to make sense to Andy. "So feats are where the real power is at," he said.

"Precisely," said Rowan.

There was a long silence. Arlene seemed to relax for a moment, probably looking at her display.

"Ok, I think I got it," Arlene said. "But is there a way to see the feats that each level will unlock?"

"Not through your display," said Rowan. "You'd have to consult a scholar. Rare feats, especially, are constantly added to the game. Scholars often have access to tomes that can answer most of your questions."

"How are we supposed to, you know… optimize?" said Arlene.

She continually relaxed and then fidgeted, probably bouncing back between studying the display and listening to Rowan.

"Ah, well, the advice I usually give new arrivals: go with your gut. It's not all about the System's numbers."

Arlene seemed unsatisfied, but she let it go.

"Well, I do apologize," said Rowan. He began rubbing his temple. "That was all dreadfully boring, but it is very important to know. I am getting rather tired, though," he said, letting out a short yawn. "I think it is time for me to retire."

It seemed a bit abrupt, but Andy didn't think much of it.

"He's getting one of his headaches," said Lilly, "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Arlene nodded, Andy told him to feel better, and everyone thanked him as he left. Lilly stayed with the group for a bit longer, making polite conversation and ensuring the group's needs were met. She showed them to the closet to get some more formal tunics, and eventually retired as well.

The group headed back to the guest room. It was surprisingly large. There were several heavily cushioned sofas lining the walls, a coffee table, and two lofted areas on either side of the room with large beds and curtains for privacy.

"That was a lot," said Andy, dropping onto a couch. "My head hurts."

"It was," said Arlene. She climbed a loft and jumped onto a bed. "But I think I'm going to have fun with this. I love a good RPG."

Kermit pulled two cookies out of his tunic and began to eat them.

"You're a gamer?" Andy asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I used to stream a little bit."

Kermit looked confused. Andy considered filling him in, but how do you explain the concept of video games, let alone Twitch, to a child who had never even seen a telephone?

"What was your game?" Andy asked.

"Lots of them," she said. "But Skyrim was always my favorite."

"It was the best," said Andy. "Well, except for Ocarina of Time."

"Apples and oranges," said Arlene. "But they're both extremely good."

Arlene turned toward Kermit.

"How are you doing, buddy?" she asked.

"I'm great," said Kermit, feasting on cookies. "When can we look for Millford?"

"Soon," said Arlene.

"I think," she added.

"We'll make it our first mission," said Andy. "After we get enough levels or… feats or whatever. Then maybe we can go on an adventure."

Kermit nodded as he continued smacking.

"So what do you think about this… thing?" Andy gestured vaguely, turning toward Arlene.

"I'm definitely excited to get started," said Arlene. "But I'll admit, I didn't expect this place to feel so… real?"

She was right. The novelty of the situation had already worn off. Humans adapt to new experiences very quickly. But, as Andy had recalled the feeling of emerging from the pool, he realized that he felt something he hadn't had during the last few years of his life: some amount of optimism.

Was that a feature of the game? Was it a feature of the afterlife? Was his brain rewiring itself and overcoming the layers of negative thought-patterns he had built up during his time on earth? This is the way he had always wanted to feel his whole life but could never quite manage. He didn't know whether to feel grateful that he could look toward a future again, or whether he should pay attention to the nagging grief that he hadn't been able to live this way while he was alive.