Four people rode horseback in the lush green forest.

One was a nearly seven foot tall beastkin, another a humble maid with dark brown hair and pale skin, an old women with a gold circlet and red dress, and a short scaled lizard-like person.

The winter air was cold today, and the overcast skies grew darker, the wind pushed it's way between the trees and blasted their faces. Then a rain drop hit. And another. The roar of thunder soon gave way to torrential rain.

They kept clear of any nearby cities or other holdings as they were now officially fugitives. House Malton had called the guard and sent word through any means, mundane or magical.

There was a man hunt now for people who fit their description- besides the lizard-like changeling Theo that is. They were instead hunting for a individual who shares the appearance of a 'Charles Malton'.

"Grandma- it's so good to see you! So much crazy stuff has happened-", but she stopped him; "-Not now! We have to get back to Adun before the guard or army catches us! There'll be time for it later!"

Is all his grandma had said when he first tried to talk to her. They were frantically fleeing the nation. The Maltons' would be confused as to what happened for days. The Proletariat, [Thieves], changelings and high-leveled [Witches]- it would take them time to piece it together.

But Theo had told Elise the truth before he left.

He had to- he owed it to the man he had replaced- to the life had stolen. He clasped the reins of his mount more tightly as he rode, gritting his newly pointed teeth. That family wasn't perfect, but they didn't deserve all that.

One thing he didn't know- and intended to get to the bottom of- was exactly who killed Malton and placed Theo in his place to begin with.

He had a creeping suspicion it was related to the fact that he also had not gotten to choose his class or customize his character in anyway.

Still... Theo was just glad to be reunited with Samantha, even if a lot of frustrating stuff had occurred... This wasn't just a video game, whatever this place was- it was real in it's own right. A conclusion he quickly came to after arriving.

The 'NPCs' weren't non-player characters, in-fact he would no longer call them that. Seeing them fight, and die, laugh and love- it was too real. If they were fake, than what was he?

He had so many questions. Did the developers know they had created sentience in machines? Did it have something to do with how all the human players were trapped now? What would Theo call the them now? 'Electronic people'?

He looked over his shoulder at Violet, who returned the look with confusion. He shook his head. 'Maybe they're just people.', he thought.

They heard the distant calls of hunting parties as they ran through the land, hours passed and they rode relentlessly. Gaining distance on their pursuers. They gave their horses a stamina version of his grandmothers 'rock candies' to keep them going. The little sugar cubes were treats to them if anything.

They only stopped for bathroom breaks and even then they practically ran back to their horses. Theo did have to stop to... 'Change', at one point. His skin was falling off his body, leaving this shorter, green form in its' wake.

He didn't appreciate the stares he got initially, but no one has really said anything since they escaped estate Malton. They just rode on through the storm in silence.

---

Finally they were far enough and the sun had begun to set, that they decided to setup camp. The land had become less forest, and more marsh. But only a bit.

"Ah, Adun. It's good to be back.", Samantha said as she slid off her saddle. She slapped the horse on the butt and it took off running back to the Maltons.

"Won't we need them?" Violet asked, doing the same to her horse. "Not in Adun we won't." the [Witch] smiled, and she brought up two fingers to her lips then whistled loudly. The call echoed in the marsh.

"Does this mean we can talk now? I've got a LOT of questions about this!" Theo referenced down to his scaled green body. Samantha rolled her eyes- "You look fine! Infact, I think it's adorable. Your big orange eyes, cute lil' snout, you're like a lizard puppy."

Theo looked over to Violet, she shook her head. Then he looked towards Sinatra who just shrugged. "When can I change into a person again?" he asked, even if he couldn't be himself, an actual human would be the second best thing.

"Let's get out of the rain first." she said, peering off into the darkening forestscape.

'THUD', 'THUD', 'THUD', loud footsteps were heard in the distance- a massive figure was pushing through the trees. Knocking smaller ones aside.

In the distance firelight was seen, a warm color behind pane glass windows. A wood-shake roof with bits of grass and weeds sprouting up, a gutter hung loosely dripping with overflowing water.

A chimney seemed to wobble back and forth despite being made of brick and mortar. And beneath the shabby porch of dry-rotted wood and an undercarriage of moss and roots- were two chicken legs.

"There he is! Who's a good boy! Yes, you are!" the Baba-Yada coo'd at the house-chicken as it approached gleefully.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!?", Violet was horrified hiding behind a tree. Theo was hiding behind her.

"Oh, be quiet! He's adorable, isn't he?", the thing slowed to a stop and knelt down towards the [Witch], the shades in the windows half closed like eyelids while she patted the side of his wooden walls.

Sinatra just ignored it and hopped up onto the porch and went inside. "We're supposed to go IN that thing?!" Theo asked this time.

"And why not? It's much roomier on the inside.", "THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE!"- the house plopped down onto the ground- the legs disappearing. Now, if one looked, it would just seem like a cozy overgrown cottage in the woods.

"It's perfectly safe, Housy is a sweetheart- couldn't harm a fly." she walked into the house and they sheepishly followed after.

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-The Baba-Yaga was right. It was more spacious on the interior. The moment they looked in through the door, the room stretched for several times the dimensions the outside portrayed. Even the ceiling extended double its height.

Sinatra was sitting on a regal teal-colored couch. His feet kicked up on an end table by a fireplace. He was flicking his hand/paws around in the air, adjusting a game menu only he could see.

The log-walls of the cabin were decked with photos and art pieces. None of it matched well. Some paintings had deserts or arctic lands, portraits or abstract pieces. An odd smattering.

In places boxes of soil hung with strange plants growing in them. The wooden floor was surprisingly clean, not too dissimilar to the polished floors of his Malton bedroom, or Samanthas apartment.

The cabin also had other rooms it seemed, they had stepped into a 'living room', which transitioned to a type of 'kitchen / alchemy' area. And some doors existed beside that, which Theo assumed with bedrooms or a pantry. A bathroom?

'How would that work if this house was a living creature' Theo thought.

It was cozy. They were dripping wet, but the hot air was quickly drying them. "You can leave your coats with Hangy." Samantha said absently as she strode into the kitchen section of the living room. First wiping her feet on a rug that was placed near the front door.

-The pattering of little wood legs sounded as a coat hanger eagerly walked over to Violet and him. "Uhh...", the thing wiggled a little bit. Theo hesitated a moment, then carefully placed his dirty purple coat on it. It immediately turned towards Violet expectantly.

"Erm, I don't-", she started, but after starring at the eager hanger for a moment, she removed a tiny cloth maid tiara she had on and placed it on the offered wooden arm. Hangy stepped back into a corner, seemingly proud of services rendered.

"This place is amazing Grandma..." Theo walked around admiring the cabin. It was incredible. Was it a skill of some sort, or just some creature she tamed? He would ask, but it was low on his list of questions.

"I know, I don't know what would of happened if we hadn't found each other..." she said sullenly. "Now come over here and give me a hug!" she waved them over to the kitchen.

Theo hugged her gladly, though she was a head higher than him now- in this form.

He looked past her and saw- the forest was moving! She noticed he was looking; "Oh, don't worry. Housy is just heading back to the bog."

The Baba-Yaga stepped over to the kitchen counter and began pouring some cups of tea.

They each took a seat in one of the stools. Theo sort of had to climb up his. His grandmother nestled into hers and clasped both hands on a warm cup of tea, and breathed a sigh. "I hate the rain." she said finally. "I still get arthritis here. If I had known that, I would've picked a younger character."

Violet and Theo just starred at her. Back at the Sinatra who was now soundly snoring on the couch.

"Alright then, ask your questions."-

Violet went first. "-I was wondering mam', or is it lady?", "Lady Yaga would work nicely." she smiled, pleased with herself- she took another sip of her tea.

"Lady Yaga- I uhm, was working a job at the estate when your son rudely interrupted my affairs with Charles Malton. I was hoping perhaps I could be compensated for the trouble? I did look after him after all.", "-That is such bs." Theo cut in;

"All she did was flirt with me and try to get me to steal for her!", "-You liked it, don't act like you didn't-", "-Pfft! I was here on my first day, I didn't know what to do when you jumped on me!", "-Oh believe me, that much was obvious. You likely have about as much experience in that department as Lady Leslie."

That shut up Theo for a second.

"-Bitch.", "-Bastard." they starred daggers at each other.

Samantha looked between them and chuckled. "You sure made friends fast Theo! Which is weird considering how much of an introvert you were in the real world."

Theo shrugged, settling into his seat and sipping his tea. "We're not friends, we were uh.. 'Partners'... And I had to adapt. I have this [Assimilation] skill that helped out. Once I put myself out there, I realized it wasn't so tough."

'Lady Yaga' smiled and placed her tea cup down. "I'm glad you're coming out of your shell a bit, even if it took an isekai to do it. How painfully generic... And Violet- I suppose I can pay you for saving my dear grandsons life. But, if you don't mind me asking- why were you at house Malton to begin with? Surely a [Thief] would have easier ways to make money than robbing the lords of a entire region!"

She slapped the table and laughed.

Violet looked away awkwardly. "It's a long story.."

"Yeah, I'm curious too. Can't believe I never thought to ask." Theo said sipping his tea.

Violet looked at him with daggers again- "It's not like I asked you about how you ended up looking like Charles while his corpse was in the closet..."

He shrugged. That's fair.

She took a breath and sighed.

"...It's not always easy for a commoner girl to make a living. As a little girl I'd gotten the class from taking a bit of jewelry someone had lost."

She clutched her cup uneasily. It seemed not easy for her to open up about her past, which made sense for a criminal.

"...And then... There's this fence, that is- a person who sells stolen items. After awhile, I started working for the people he worked for. Stole some jewelry, some enchanted items, and eventually they started to tell me to steal specific things..."

"Refill?" Theo asked. Samantha grabbed the kettle and started pouring him another cup. He reached for a cookie in the center of the counter and she slapped his hand away. "That's alchemical idiot! Don't just start sticking things in your mouth!", he looked at her mollified.

Violet had just poured her heart out to them, and they were fighting over potentially poisonous cookies.

"Are you listening?" Violet asked. They looked at her plainly. "Yeah, poor [Thief] looked after by criminals. Didn't expect that at all." Theo rolled his eyes.

That seemed to get under Violets skin. "Oh yeah? Then tell me, how DID you end up switching places with Charles then, huh?"

Theo exchanged a look with his grandmother as if to say; 'should we tell her?', and she shrugged.

Theo slapped his hands down onto his knees-

"Well, I lost my job to automation. So I started mooching off my grandmother here- thanks by the way-" Samantha nodded knowingly. "-Then one day this new video game came out. A video game is a copy of reality where people can do whatever they want- and it was called 'Real Fantasy Online' ™..."

After several minutes of explanation Violet just sat there. Blinking. She took a sip of her tea. "But-", she took another sip. "H-how?"

Samantha went over and put a hand on her shoulder consolingly. "I know it's a lot to take in, and trust me it's crazy to us too! Video games were never capable of this before!"

She looked up at her incredulously; "You must be crazy- metal 'machines', glass with lights behind them- there's no way such things exist!"

The [Witch] shook her head. "I've had the problem of convincing the people of this world before, so I went out and got this-", she walked over and pulled a glass orb from a shelf.

"A palantír.", Violet breathed.

"Yes, expensive bauble. But it conveys implanted memories to the viewer- so go on then. See for yourself, could any mind simple imagine a world like this?" she placed it on an empty stand on the counter.

Violet hesitated a moment, then slowly placed a hand on the palantír. In an instant her eyes turned white, smoke swirled around in the orb showing images of city streets, cars, and yes, video games.

After what seemed like several minutes, she finally let go of the thing. Her expression saddened and confused.

"My world is an illusion? Am I an illusion? What purpose is there in this life?" she said listlessly. Looking towards the Baba-yaga and Theo for answers.

They wished they had them, but they only had their own philosophies about it. His grandmother nudged him.

"Me? -But?" then he saw Violets pleading eyes, and he sighed. 'I have my own existential crisis to deal with, but here it goes-'

"Alright, so the world is governed by logic, right? That's no different than my world. We're all just patterns that repeat over time, it's not a big deal. People get weird when they understand that everything works the way it does for a reason. But I think, it's okay. I mean, we feel real and isn't that real enough? Isn't what separates what is real or fake how much we care about it? I think, therefore I am. Ya' know?"

Samantha knocked him on his head- "That's not going to help her you idiot! They didn't spend their entire lives watching the internet..."

She turned towards Violet compassionately; "..There are those who feel like Theo do. But others like me, I believe it's a matter of faith."

Violet stirred at that. "F-faith- like in the gods?"

Samantha shook her head. "Faith has little to do with any god. It's more to do with us, with how we cope with our limitations as people. Faith helps us focus on what we can control."

"But... How do I have any control if I live inside a fake world?" Violet looked down at her tea. Her eyes were starting to shimmer.

Samantha sighed and sat in her stool. Then looked at Violet sternly- "Look- you've lived your whole life up to this point already, what's changed? Your world isn't as big as you thought?"

"I-I don't know if it's a matter of size-"

Samantha ignored her and continued; "But did the world end? You're still here. You're right to cry about the unfairness of it all... But remember it was one moment that sent your life spiraling into question. Who is to say there isn't another moment in the future that proves to be its' counter? So have faith child- that moment will come. Take it from an old woman." She said smiling holding her hand gently from across the counter.

'Who was this woman and what has she done with my grandmother?' Theo thought. Then again, he had never asked her questions like these.

Violet swallowed hard. "I just don't know...", -the Baba-Yaga chuckled. "And you knew before? Who knows if their world is an illusion or not, we're not the gods!"

Theo had to admit, his grandmother was good at curtailing existential dread. Though he had his own ideas, he liked her optimism. Violet looked at her in wonder.

"I suppose I did not. Perhaps this world is governed by different rules than I had thought, but it is still a world. Tell me though, why did your people create it?"

That sparked another conversation, that lasted long into the night. Theo wanted to ask about his class, being a changeling, why he didn't get to choose one like everyone else- but Violets problems took a front seat.

Which was fine. He had all the time in the world to ask his grandmother about it. It could wait until the morning. It was good to see this side of Violet. Unsure, but adapting to changes on the fly as she always had to. It reminded him of, well- himself.

They spoke about two different worlds histories. The heavy rain splashed against the windows as the house-on-legs walked through the forest. The people inside seemingly unaffected by it's uneven trot.

There were laughs, heated debates, and a lot more questions to answer. But, as the night grew long, they eventually went to their rooms to sleep. Theo had his own room- almost a closet in size but at least it had a bed. The Baba-Yaga and Violet shared the other, slightly larger bedroom while Sinatra had fallen asleep on the couch.

Theo lounged in the comfortable bed in the small room. Looking out the window into the passing forest outside, and wondered.

'Just what kind of alchemical affect did those cookies have?', as one of the trees smiled and waved at him. He was high off his balls. He called her bluff and was paying for it. He hid under his covers when the tree started flipping him the bird.