“But you’re going to die too,” Nick said. “Why worry about who else is going to follow you into the grave, you gar—” Nick stopped, letting out an “Ow!” before he could finish his insult. “Sorry.”

“Brothers, something is off,” Malik warned, his voice heavy with caution. “How is she aware of her past lives in the quest? Something isn’t right.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of creepy,” Valerie agreed. “NPC AI is supposed to ignore previous deaths when they respawn. That way, each person doing the quest will get to feel like it’s the first time the quest has been completed.”

Xun Guan nodded. “Oh, yes! You’re absolutely right! That is the case. An NPC wouldn’t be able to remember what happened in its previous iterations. That’d just be cruel.”

“But, then . . .” Malik stumbled on the words, his Dwarven face twisting up as he stared at Xun Guan. He wasn’t the only one: the whole party had lost their zeal and was staring at her, confused at what was happening.

“Come now. You know the answer. Just ask the question already,” Xun Guan encouraged, her demeaning tone causing Nick’s face to twitch in anger.

“Doesn’t that mean . . . you aren’t an NPC?” Malik asked hesitantly.

“Ah, bravo!” Xun Guan laughed as she stood up, clapping her hands patronizingly. “You’re right: I’m not an NPC. I’m an evil, underpaid, overworked, middle-management staffer taking on the role of her favorite character just like I have been doing since I first got my job at this company!”

What?! Lucas was suddenly at a loss, and the revelation left him reeling, unable to put words together. He knew that Dawn or Xun Guan or whatever her name was seemed realistic compared to other NPCs, but he had never once imagined that someone had been controlling the character. He didn’t know how to process the fact that he had been talking to her as if she were nothing more than a blank canvas, bouncing his private thoughts and frustrations off of her without ever once considering the possibility that a real person was listening to him.

“But . . . that doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone take over that NPC?” Malik asked.

“Yeah, she’s terrible! Her stats are abysmal, and she dies every time someone has to do the starting quest. Why wouldn’t you pick a better one?” Valerie asked.

“Oh, I have my reasons,” Xun Guan said slyly. “And everyone has to start somewhere, right? That is what this is all about, the starting quest, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but we’re going to have to kill you,” Malik said. “And why are you even bothering telling us all this?”

“Why not just be cute and die?” Valerie asked, twirling her daggers around as she smiled at Xun Guan.

“Die. Right. That is what happens next. Lucas, could you be a dear and do me a tiny favor really quick?”