While this was a good thing for Lucas since he still had his PVP tag on, it meant that the area had a rather somber, quiet, and somewhat depressing atmosphere. A few of the shopkeepers looked at him with greedy eyes, but all of the other NPCs in the area just walked around with their heads down and eyes glued to the ground, shuffling along as if they were prisoners with their ankles bound together by shackles.

The only people who didn’t appear to be distraught were the soldiers. Clad in shiny chainmail armor and metal helmets, they were seemingly oblivious to the bleak mood. A few of them walked around on patrol, clutching their halberds tightly and laughing and joking with each other.

Lucas had expected to see this. It was how the game was designed. The gloomy mood was meant to evoke sympathy from the player and help drive the black-and-white “They’re evil, and we’re good” narrative that the game thrived on.

So boring, so predictable. They might as well throw in a few cheerleaders for the hero to protect in order to save the whole world. Although, I guess I should be glad that this game at least lets us kill NPCs and hasn’t gone the full “us versus them” route yet. It’s not as bad as those games that limit freedom and try to keep all adult activities ranging from killing to romance at or below a rated-R level. Lucas never had been able to understand those games that wouldn't even show blood when someone was stabbed. A game without fully-explorable love interests, dragon slaying, and castle conquering lacked the basic fundamentals of what a fantasy game was supposed to be.

Lucas made his way to the small town’s tavern, and he was promptly greeted by its owner, a tall yet frail-looking Alfar man who looked as if he had seen more wear and tear than the ragged decor of his aging establishment. The aging man rushed to open the door before Lucas could make his way inside.

“Good day,” he gushed with all the propriety of a man who smelled money. “How can I assist a proud member of Imperium today? All Imperium soldiers eat half-off, compliments of Sir Kegan.”

Lucas was pleasantly surprised at the new dialogue prompt, and his eyes lit up. Every tavern owner, even those who only appeared during special events, would always say the same thing when a player approached: “Hail, adventurer! Welcome to our humble establishment.” Their chat was so common and so perfectly scripted that people had created a series of memes around it.

“What do you have to eat?” he asked. He was keenly attentive as he waited to see if the man would revert back to the usual dialogue tree or remain off course.

“We have very little, sir, only meager amounts of anything that would be deemed worthy of being tasted by an Imperium soldier, but I will do what I can to appease your appetites.” The owner gestured toward an empty table with one hand while holding the door open with the other.