The forest, wasn’t actually a forest at all. It was more like someone’s backyard. I guess the phrase, you can’t see the forest through the trees was true. Only in reverse, I couldn’t see the lack of a forest through the trees.

It took me only a few minutes of stumbling around the tree line to make my way to a cabin. Once again, sci-fi game with a cabin? What are these devs up to. Maybe it’s a facade for a landing strip?

I walk up to the door and try to open it. Locked.

I decide to look around for a key. There is a rock next to the door that looks like it’s been moved a few times judging by the impressions in the dirt.

I lift the rock. Nothing but some insects who didn’t appreciate the sunlight.

Which at this point was starting to wane, letting a crisp breeze take it’s place. It was going to be cold and I was not looking forward to finding out how truly immersive this world was.

Rock still in hand I look to the right of the door and see a large window with some wooden shutters over it.

Idea.

I pull the right side shutter open and get ready to break the window when I see a woman staring back at me with a rifle in her hands.

The rock crashes to the floor as I, no kidding, literally ‘Meep’.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my yard?”

Her voice is muffled but I can still understand what she’s saying through the glass.

“I’m looking for a user terminal, and maybe a place to rest so that I don’t freeze when the sun goes down.” The words flow out as I look at the barrel of the rifle. It looks like a simple hunters rifle from the old vids. It’s nothing futuristic at all.

She leans her head to the side quizzically and frowns. “What’s a user terminal?”

None player characters are artificial characters in video games. Usually an NPC that can interact with you has a script they follow in response to triggers or interactions. In Altera Online, the developers had introduced enhanced NPCs with artificial intelligence. The AIs as we called them, were actually pretty amazing compared to the scripted NPCs and would react far better.

Unfortunately, the tech was still a bit off and from time to time the speech recognition would get things wrong. Commands like, “follow” would result in the AI attempting to swallow something instead. It was strange, but mostly funny.

The woman sitting across from me now was either the most advanced AI I’d ever encountered, or another player pretending not to know anything.

“So, you’re actually a... what did you call them?”

“User.”

“Right, you’re a user, and you need access to a user terminal to enable the...” She gestured with her hand in the air as she tried to think.

I open my mouth to respond but she cut me off with a raised finger.

“I got it, the external link!”

“Right.”

“Ok, I get it.”

“Really?”

“Well, I think I do.” She stood and walked over to a kettle on the stove which had started to whistle.

Since inviting me in, she had set the rifle on the mantle above her fireplace and offered me tea. I figured it was all part of the lead up to a quest or something similar, so I accepted.

Now that the immediate threat of being shot or freezing outside was past, I took note of her. She was actually very attractive, but no big surprise, this was a video game after all. Her reddish brown hair was curly and trimmed so it didn’t hang past her neck. She had a cute oval face with big hazel eyes. A flannel shirt and jeans seemed appropriate for the current setting, but completely out of place in a game called DomeNET Online. Her figure wasn’t exaggerated like most games usually are, but she was fit.

I took the chance to take in the rest of the cabin. I was seated on a sofa draped with a blanket that had geometric patterns in various colors. There was a small coffee table and shaggy rug in front of the fire place. To the side was a reclining chair with a pillow that said, ‘Home Sweet Home’.

The kitchen is just a sink, tiny fridge and a couple of cabinets. There is two doors across from the front door where I’d come in. I figure one was the bathroom and the other the bedroom, but hadn’t asked yet. All in all, it’s a tiny cabin.

“Sorry about the rifle. I don’t get many visitors up here, so it was surprising when I heard you come through the forest.”

“I understand.”

“How did you get out here anyways? The closest town is about 10 miles out. Did you get lost out here? You don’t even have a pack, how did you travel so far?”

“I, uh.” How was I supposed to explain all this to an NPC? I mean, it has to be an NPC if they aren’t familiar with Users.

Then I think of something and speak quietly, “Is this person an NPC?”

“Hm?” The woman looks at me puzzled again as she holds the kettle over a second mug. “Did you say something?”

“No, nothing. Haha.” I rub the back of my neck.

“I figure if you’re out here hunting or anything like that, you’ll need a pack or at least some supplies.”

“Actually, I got lost trying to find the user terminal.” I figure lying is my best option at this point. Especially since the quest hasn’t triggered.

“Well, I can’t really provide you a long term place to stay, but you can stay here tonight if you need.”

“That would be great! Thanks.” Perhaps this is a rest zone. It would be best to log out here so that I don’t get attacked while I’m not online.

Then it hits me again. What does my character do while I’m not logged in? In Altera, the character would perform automated tasks like building or hunting mobs in a specified location. Then when you logged in, you’d have items or experience based on what you left the character doing.

But that was the least of my concerns. The bigger one was, logging out! How was I supposed to log out without my External Link?

“Just one thing.”

“Hm?”

“If you stay, do you mind helping me out with something?”

“Sure, but do you mind telling me your name at least?”

“Oh yea! I completely forgot. My name is Beatrice.”