I did not know what a world event was and Rose was only to happy to fill in this gap of my gamer education.

  “The dungeon you did back in Bistmore with your party -- that was a local event. So far in this part of the game all the game events are dungeons. But events don’t have to be dungeons, strictly speaking. Then you have regional events. I haven’t done a regional dungeon in this game. Though some of the players here have done one in beta. You can tell which ones they are by they fanciness of their gear.” Rose’s eyes looked over my mantle. "Gear like that."

  I glanced down at it. First Ayerelia, now Rose. Was this mantle fancier looking than I thought? It was basically just a hunk of bear skin strapped to my shoulders. "I got this while we were doing our escort quest."

  “Huh, we didn't get anything good. Anyway there is going to be a world event just over there.” She pointed a small finger back towards the hills. “There is a countdown clock on the entrance. We need to make sure there are enough people to trigger it. There is some debate on whether we could all just show up at the last second and the dungeon doors would open. The game people are being cagey about it. I think in an effort to build tension and excitement. But as World events are very rare and random we aren’t taking a the chance.”

  “How many does it take to trigger this event.” I looked up into the hills to see if I could see anything. But night was falling and all I saw was dark shapes of rocks and and trees against the purple sky.

  “To trigger it we need 35 people present. The game wiki recommends100.”

  “One hundred players?” How hard was this event?

  Rose nodded seriously. “We hope to have at least 60. If we fail then the dungeon closes and disappears.”

  “The dungeon moves?” I don't know why this should surprise me. The programmers could just delete it from this area and add it to another. It wasn’t like anyone was physically moving a massive dungeon.

  Barry joined us.

  “Did you talk to Kevin,” Rose asked before his butt hit the logs we were using as chairs.

  Barry, who I now saw was a half elf, made a face. He looked like a very tall and slender human, but the slightly pointy ears were a give away. “Fucking Kevin.”

  I liked this guy already.

  “If he wasn’t so consistent at hanging out at the door, and if we didn’t need the numbers I would grief him.”

  “Grief him?” I asked.

  “You're not much of an MMO player huh?” He commented.

  I shook my head.

  “Basically I would attack him and kill him every time I saw him. I wouldn’t camp him though. That is just a dick move. Though he deserves it.”

  I must have looked very bewildered as Rose came to my rescue. “Griefing is basically harassing another player repeatedly, it isn't always attacking though it ususally is. Camping another player is when you hide near their spawn point and kill them as soon as they leave their safe zone is the most hated form of it.”

  “That's diabolical.” I breathed. Who would spend so much time in a game being that much of an asshole? Then I thought of Ayerelia. If she was just a tinsy bit more annoying or condescending --I could see someone being tempted. “Speaking of definitions what did that Kevin guy mean when he said death by snu snu?”

  Barry looked uncomfortable, and Rose looked to be blushing in the firelight. “Oh that.” She looked up at me, and seeing I really was looking for a reply, said. “It’s an old meme. Its about having sex with a barbarian, or maybe an Amazonian woman till you die of exhaustion.”

  That was disgusting. Fucking Kevin, what a scumbag.

  “I see,” I said and turned to the elf. “Well Barry, if you ever decide he needs some harassment, I am your girl.”

  He snorted a laugh, and Rose relaxed.

  “You are clearly a fighter,” Barry said.

  I nodded. Obvious statement was obvious.

  “We could use a few more tanks for the event. You want to join us?”

  “How does that work? I am already in a party. I don’t know when they will return and if they will want to join or not.”

  “Unlike regular parties this World Event will let us have Squads. A squad is up to fifteen players, or three whole parties.

  They let me think for a bit. Dekka came over for pets and sat on Rose’s boots, her way of a subtle hint.

  “How many do you have in your quad so far?" I asked. "Oh and is Kevin in it?”

  Rose gave a very unladylike snort. “Hell no, that idiot is not in our squad. So far we have eleven members.”

  I had nothing better to do. And I immediately liked these two. Dekka had always been an excellent judge of character and was quite taken with the halfling. “Let’s say I join,” I said thinking outloud. “And you guys get a few more people signing up.” I checked to see that they were following along. “And then my party shows up and says ‘hey we want in’ but there aren’t enough slots left in your squad for all four of them?”

  “You don’t have to all be in the same squad. Your party I mean. You could leave our squad and your entire party could join another one, or even start a new one. Or you can stay with us and they could join another one.”

  I watched Rose petting my dog. I didn’t have a super great attachment to my party. I did want Copperbeard to follow up on the ticket. But what if there were more tickets, sent out by more people? If I hung out with these guys a bit more and got to know them, could I convince them I was stuck in here?

  “Ok you have convinced me. How do I sign up?”

  Rose smiled and Barry looked pleased.

  BARRY HAS INVITED YOU TO JOIN [TEAM KICKASS] SQUAD. Would you like to join? Y/N

  Squads are limited time teams. The Squad will dissolve the moment the World Event is resolved or if it fails to be triggered.

  I clicked Y with a chuckle.

  “Team Kickass?” I asked.

  Barry grinned. “Simple, straightforward and to the point.”

  “It is at that. And why Barry?”

  “What do you mean, why Barry?" He asked his head slightly tilted.

  "Your name, why choose Barry?"

  He laughed. "Oh, that is my name. Both in game and out.”

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Mine too. Elizabeth, I mean, not Barry." I gave a little laugh at the absurdity the idea. "Is Kevin also Kevin? I haven’t played many games were people use their real name.”

  Rose smirked. “No Kevin is his real name but not his game name. He named himself Leet Lord spelled ‘L337L0Rd’ and everyone refused to call him that. Someone found out his real name. He haaates it. But that is what you get for naming yourself something even a 13-year-old edgelord would be ashamed of.”

  I laughed, really laughed. I hadn’t even laid eyes on this guy and I had a pretty clear image of what sort of a person he was. The other two joined me. I hadn’t laughed in a while. Even with my party.

  “What about you?” Rose asked. “Why do you use your real name?”

  That sobered me up quickly. Did I tell them now? This was a real opening. I shouldn't squander it. I looked down at my feet and watched the firelight dancing of the edges of my boots. Picking up a blade of grass I started fiddling with it. “I didn’t get a choice to pick my name.” I said softly my tone devoid of mirth. “In fact I didn’t get to choose this game either.”

  No one said anything.

  “I don’t understand.” Barry shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean you didn’t get to choose this game?”

  As I was debating about how much to say Rose asked. “Are you in here for oh what do they call it? That compassionate life thing?”

  I gave a little snort but kept playing with the piece of grass admiring the way it caught the light. “You aren’t the first person to ask. The truth is I don’t know. I don’t think so. Mostly because my family doesn’t have that much money Even if they did this isn’t something they would likely do.”

  “So what happens when you log off?” Barry asked.

  “I can’t. There is no option to log off. I have been in here continuously for weeks, maybe months now.”

  This stunned the pair into silence for a few moments. “How is this possible?” Rose asked. But she didn’t sound disbelieving or dismissive like Ayerelia just confused and interested.

  “I have no idea.” I tied the blade of grass into a little knot.

  I told them about Copperbeard opening up a ticket, it being closed, and hi opening it up again. I didn’t tell them about it being a roguelike for me. Or that NPCs didn’t perma die if it was just me around.

  “You aren’t joking, are you?” Rose asked me her warm brown eyes serious and full of concern.

  Her honest look of care made my eyes well. It was stupid. I felt stupid, but this was the first time I felt like anyone had really looked at me with empathy since I arrived. The first time another person had taken a moment to think what it would be like to be stuck in a game. This game in particular.

  Looking away, embarrassed I wiped my eyes before the tears could fall. Some big intimidating barbarian I was. Crying over the first bit of kindness.

  I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I looked up. Well, more like straight across. Rose's eyes were at the same height as mine while she was standing and I was sitting on this low log. “I’ll make a ticket. Right now. This isn’t right.” She said.

  “Thanks.” That word was wholly inadequate for the gratefulness that filled my heart.

  “Well, I gotta log off.” Barry said and stood. “Glad to have you with us, Elizabeth. Regardless of how you got here.” He walked off into the gloom, stopping to chat with a few others until he was out of sight.

  “I don’t have to go for a while. But lets find a spot closer to the fire. It’s funny how cold you can feel in this game.”

  The chill wasn't bothering me, but now she mentioned the cold I noticed how Dekka had been huddled right up against the halfling. Standing I tossed the blade of grass aside and scooped up my dog hugging her close. It felt good. And I felt her little body shiver. She had been cold and I felt bad. But she could have moved closer to the fire if she had wanted too. I knew she wouldn’t though, it would have been to far from me in a crowd of strangers.

  There were at least seven or eight fires going. Rose led the way over to one nearest the edge of the escarpment. “My stuff is by this fire. It’s more out of the way, but I like it a bit quieter.”

  Me too, new friend, me too. As much as I was loving all the people and the party type atmosphere, it was hard to relate. Unlike them I wasn't here for fun and recreation. I felt so out of place in this game. I wasn't really a player but I wasn’t like the NPCs either.

  We sat together on stools made of wide sections of logs sat on their ends. “My name isn’t actually Rositilda, you know.” She said

  I chuckled. “I didn’t think it was.”

  “My name, out in the real world is Neil.” She said.

  She? I was momentarily thrown. I knew you could choose your gender in game but I hadn’t thought about it. All my previous party members as far as I could tell had the same gender in game and out.

  “I just felt it was only fair, since I know your real name.” She continued. “Being able to try on a new persona for a while is one of my favourite things about these immersion games.” She looked down at her very modest chest. “This character is much better than my last. Boobs are such an inconvenience.” She made a face.

  For the second time that night I laughed with genuine mirth. “Boobs are great,” I said still snorting with laughter. “But they would be better if you could choose to put them on just for special occasions, or when, like you had to feed an actual baby.”

  Rose laughed with me. “Yes, I had never really thought about it before I played one of these games. I had played female characters before, but until the full immersion games I had no idea what it felt like to have them.” She laughed again. "I don't know how the larger chested ladies do it."

  “You don’t have to answer, but I want to ask you a question about that.” I found a rock to play with this time.

  “I always wonder at people who always play the other gender in games. Do you wish you could be a different gender than you are in the outside, or have aspects of that gender?” This is a question I had wondered a lot about in the past. There had been this dude, Chris, who always played a sexy female character. And I had wanted to ask him these questions. Or if he just enjoyed watching the back end of a sexy woman as he played.

  Rose chuckled. “Well I do like being pretty sometimes, to look cute in a way I can't in my normal body. But no. I am your pretty typical guy's guy in the outside world. I like being a man, but it’s fun to try something else. For example, I am quite tall in real life. Though not as tall as you. Being a hafling is fun. It’s more about being able to try on someone else’s reality. Walk some miles in other people’s shoes and all that.”

  I nodded, liking this person quite a lot. I bet she, he?, and Arjun would get along. They both had a thoughtful way about them. But this guy, girl?

  Fuck this was going to get confusing. Now that I knew Rose was Neil and that he identified as male as a person now I wasn’t sure what to say or how to think. “Um I am having a bit of an issue with this,” I said and saw Rose stiffen. “No no not in that way. It is a me and my brain issue. Now that I know you identify as a guy I don’t know what pronouns to use.”

  The halfling visibly relaxed. “Oh, yeah I can see that being weird. Most people here don’t know so it hasn’t come up. Really just what ever works for you.”

  “Oh I that makes it easier,” I said, tossing the small rock at the fire. Dekka's ears perked up, but thankfully she didn't go chasing after it.

  Rose looked contemplatively at the fire. “Not they/them, though -- Now that I think of it. One of my best friends uses that, and it would feel weird to use their pronouns when it isn’t actually how I feel.”

  “Fair enough. My brain wants to label you a ‘she/her’ anyway.”

  “Works for me.”

  I put my bedroll down near the fire. Close to Rose’s so we could keep talking. Dekka, the little traitor, snuggled up with Rose and looked at me with smug contentment. I got it though; I love her, but even I don’t pet her as much as new people often did.

  “So tell me,” Rose said getting comfortable, “What has it been like being stuck in this game?”

  “Terrible.” I replied instantly. “I hate it. There are some parts that are ok.” I looked meaningfully over at Dekka. “I got my dog back. But overall it has been painful, scary, brutal and at times very dull. Really I just-”

  “Wait, hold up there.” Rose interrupted me. “You got your dog back?” She looked down at the happy little terrier balled up against her.

  “Yeah,” I said with a smile. “The single most redeeming thing the game dev, or whomever is out there, did for me. I was alone in a storm. Like really alone. Scared, cold and absolutely miserable. I kinda, well.. This is a little embarrassing to admit but I kinda freaked out and yelled and ranted at the sky. It worked though. The next day I was handed a companion quest.”

  “And they gave you a dog.”

  I shook my head. “No the companion quest was supposed to give me the option of three animals, none of them a dog. They sounded fine but all I wanted was my dog back." I looked into the fire and admired the way the sparks floated and lept dancing on the smoke up into the sky. "Dekka, the real Dekka died a few months before,” I paused. It had been years. But to me it had been months. “Actually it's complicated. But from my perspective she hadn’t been gone all that long. So I just wished and imagined her so clearly that I guess they could pull her likeness and personality from my mind.” I shrugged.

  Now that I voiced it out loud it sounded far-fetched, yet there was the proof snuggled and warmed by the virtual campfire.

  “That is really hard to believe.” She said, still petting the incongruous bit of code beside her.

  “I often can’t believe it myself.”

  “No I mean they shouldn’t be able to read your mind like that. Sure, the game can make a dog. But to make your dog…” Rose looked down at Dekka. She had stopped petting, Dekka deciding her new friend was done, got up and plopped herself down on my bedroll. “Is it really your dog?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This creation. Is it your dog or does it just look like your dog?”

  “Oh, she is very much my dog. She is Dekka exactly as I remember her. Though younger than I last saw her and she is getting smarter.”

  “They shouldn’t be able to do that.” Rose repeated. “I suppose they could look through your social media and find pictures of your dog. But they shouldn’t be able to recreate her personality or quirks.”

  I shrugged, maybe they shouldn't have been able to, but they did.

  “I have to log off, it's been a pleasure meeting you Elizabeth. I will be back, tomorrow your time and in the mean time I will see what I can find out.” She laid down and returned to the real world.

  That night I fell asleep feeling unsettled but hopeful.