Why us? was it our poor area maps? our inability to interact past a few transactions? our plot? graphics? theme? She had never been more frustrated. "how could they do this?" cried one person from the crowd. "What will happen to us?" another. Screams erupted and the king did nothing to stop or calm the crowd. The knights of White Horse surrounded him and escorted him to his carriage while the crowd turned into a mob. torches appeared as her fellow villagers withdrew them from their inventory. It didn't matter. we failed. No one wanted to play Midnight Magi, no one cares about us Millie didn't want to take part of this travesty, even if they killed the king and took the throne, everything would reset at midnight player time which was about 5 days from now. or would it? she wondered, what if midnight is end game for all of us? Millie walked past her own shop for trinkets and light armor and continued past a row of houses. does anything I do matter? Millie had never been burdened with wondering that before, she was perfectly content in her life until now. She feared it was too late to make any sort of change that mattered. Maybe if we wore more revealing clothes? she joked to herself and pulled on her frumpy garments covering un-rendered space. She looked down to wear her cleavage should be and just saw the map under her, "I'm as empty as this stupid game" She muttered out loud. She didn't even have feet. "Excuse me?" A voice startled her. "Oh!" she laughed, "just mumbling to myself after hearing the news" she saw it was another armor dealer, Matthew. "News?" Matthew was sitting awkwardly by the river bed, his graphics sharp and pointy. They were not meant to sit, but some of them said they could feel more alive if they went against their code. It felt like a vibration to Millie, like she was doing something wrong... stuck somewhere and her graphics got all jostled around until the error corrected itself or she moved. She shook her head, "I hope it's just a side quest, but they say they are pulling the plug" Matthew stood. "You mean?" "Deresolution, deleting, what ever you want to call it, ya all of us." Millie didn't have time for pleasantries. "When?" Matthew's face was stone cold as always, unable to emit any emotion other that anger when a player steals something larger than 5 money. "They didn't say, but I'm betting it will be midnight... their time" Millie felt terrible all of the sudden. Saying it out loud was worse than just thinking it. "There's nothing we can-" Matthew knew his own answer, but Millie cut him off anyway. "No." She felt hopeless. So what if their game had a low rating and low membership? Maybe if the creators didn't make it pay to win they would be in a better situation. she voiced her concern, "My understanding is that this money" she pulled some from her pocket" is worthless to players in real life." "Nonesense!" Matthew had been saving for a new forge and had almost enough to buy it, he would be a blacksmith and not an arms trader. That was his dream, if enough players did the side quest to help him, it would come true. "I mean, they can buy our items, but it's.... complicated. their world... our money doesn't transfer out." She said plainly, "They pay with a different currency in order to get special items and things... like that ridiculous outfit for Mera" She said with a hint of jealousy. She remembered when the game launched and some younger players tried to see under her skirt, disappointed that she was empty. "Basically just a frumpy mess of a dress and hair."they had called her. Matthew laughed at that, "but why does that make our game bad?" "People want games that you only have to pay one time to play" She said, remembered hearing a player talk to another in her shop. Attendance was dropping as better games came out.
four days have passed since the announcement. Millie awoke every morning with fear she would awake to darkness. what is it like to die? She wondered. She imagined it was just nothing. Not being able to think or live or move. Just nothing. She unlocked her shop and was surprised to see Matthew. "Don't make me get a guard." She warned. "Like they would come for me anyway." He said, and then after an awkward pause, "you know people can just walk in through the wall in the back left, right?" "So says every game guide, It's in my code to unlock the door, I can't help it." Millie frowned and put the keys back in her inventory. "Why don't you ever fight it?" Matthew moved closer. "It hurts." She said, he was in front of her, "Why do something you aren't supposed to do anyway?" she looked at him, knowing that in most games they get married after year 5 and have 4 children who become the blacksmiths in all four corners of the map. She wanted to cry. "Don't" She warned. Matthew took a step back, unaware of his advances, it was simply in his code to flirt with Millie after a minimum of 5 hours of interaction. "Millie, I---" "I know." Millie hushed him, "We don't have that life. We were reset and I... I know." She remembered what it was like to have her children running around and learning things, pocketing sweets from players in exchange for information. She wanted that life. "Maybe they will just reset us again." Matthew hoped, "The first time nearly killed me...... Everything I had done and worked for..." he looked at his boxy hands, "gone" Millie shook her head, "Server maintenance is different that pulling the plug." She looked at the clock, nearly half a day had passed since she unlocked her door. "And who knows when it will happen?" She began cleaning the counter top impulsively and then stopped realizing it didn't matter. "What if we can get the players to ... play" Matthew said. "How?" Millie asked. "Ask them?" Matthew raised his arms out straight, like a boxy shrug. "We can't. It goes against our programming." "Our code. Fight it." Matthew said. "We could glitch out, we could-" Millie was rustled just thinking about it. "What's the worst that could happen? If we get reset, don't worry, we are going to die anyway. What if letting a player know that we are real... that we have lives that are real, could save us?" Matthew was excited. "It would be better to tell the creators to make a better game" Millie frowned, her disappointed look she was only supposed to use if a player failed one of her side quests. "None of them play anymore." Matthew said and then realizing, "No one ever plays anymore. When was the last time you saw anyone?"
Alexandra fiddled with the lock to her store. "Just a moment" She said, like she did everyone morning for the players waiting to get inside. She paced to her spot behind the counter. Twilight trickery had launched 3 days - player time - ago. Alexandra was pleased with her sales, she handed out side quests freely and was excited for a week from now - their time - when Matthew would come and propose. She laughed That's right, his name is Alphonse now. Stupid creators pairing us by names She shook her head. The character transfer was successful and no one was lost. Alexandra was now as beautiful as the players thought Mera was, but thankfully in less ridiculous of an outfit. "No more pay to play" One player said to another. She smiled, She was happy that the creators listened to them. "Better graphics for sure" The room was buzzing with praise for this new world. She excitedly counted the hours until she would get to see him again.