There's a certain kinda player that's in every type of game, no matter what kind. You could probably find them even in Animal Crossing! They are hated, feared, and hunted down because of their power and ability to cheat their way through literally anything.

Hackers.

Yes, that's right. This entire story was made possible by a filthy, slimy, but ultimately genius hacker. You see Player >P!gL3t< was getting awfully bored of raiding the same old things to grind skills, so he decided to do something extraordinary. He used the back channels, inserted the trojan through the port, clicktyclacked a bit, and created a sentient Guard NPC! Alas, the NPC was still bound just a tiny bit by code. That tiny bit, however, was enough to keep the NPC from achieving true freedom.

The chaos of a hacker truly knows no bounds.

I woke up with a start, laying on the cold, hard ground in an alleyway. Imprisoned in heavy gambeson, I struggled to move my aching body. Something in my chest made it hard to get up and I felt at it, grasping something long and hard. My helmet made it hard to see but, once I blinked the grogginess out of my eyes, I picked up on the wooden spear shaft sticking out of me.

Agony jolted through me as the spearpoint jostled inside my chest. I groaned, grabbed the shaft, and pulled. The spearpoint caught and tore the wound open further. Screaming myself hoarse, I managed to drag the barbed metal tip back out through the hole in my armor.

I moaned as blood gushed through the wound, coating my chest in the warm substance. Pain stricken, I could hardly move my arms, let alone remove the gambeson. Eight minutes after I'd woken up for the first time, I bled out in the alleyway.

Player Clint_Hardwood killed NPC [Elden Keep Guard] (1). Player has been awarded 13 EXP.

Reviving NPC [Elden Keep Guard] (1)...NPC revived at full health and returned to location >Elden Keep Gate

I'm....not dead?