Non-Player Character

Chapter 2 - Lonan

The clash of metal rang in his ear with every step. Every bounce. In a run, his armor was a thunderous roar. Lonan tightened his grip on the arm clamped in his hand. He practically dragged her behind him, away from the market. Away from the guards. And away from whoever was running towards them.

A kidnapping. He was kidnapping an NPC. The charges played in his head. Would a hero hunt him down and exact revenge?

Her skin was warm beneath his touch. She felt sturdy, real. His heart pounded in his chest. He turned and her arm loosened as she kept pace behind him.

It was impossible. He knew it was impossible. Yet she had done it. He had never heard of an NPC deviating from their script. It has never happened. She had managed to break away from the controls that bound her.

It was impossible.

Unless it was a trick. Lonan didn't want to consider that at the moment. He moved without thinking, running on instinct. He changed direction until there were no heroes around them. NPCs he could deal with.

Whoever was chasing them couldn't be an NPC. They didn't change course like heroes. They ran in the road, not between the bushes and behind fences. Another hero who knew without seeing. Did they know?

If had happened before, they would. He needed to hide her.

They needed to find cover without setting off an alarm. Likely a marksman was involved. They were always around, watching like a sniper from a bird's-eye view. A hotel, like the one he was staying in, might be an option.

But not if someone was hunting her.

NPC's disappeared, Lonan knew that. Everyone knew that when an old NPC no longer returned to their assigned designation, than they were assumed dead. Within a few hours, a new NPC would appear. Rarely, mobs or bosses would make their way into a town and destroy a few buildings and people. Bored or nefarious heroes were known to eliminate NPCs out of curiosity or anger. But this –

His mind raced with possibilities. Would she be replaced? Did whoever it was that controlled their world have to find a body first or did someone report the disappearance? Did one of those people witness his kidnapping?

He felt a chill in the air. The tendrils of doubt curled under his armor and between the padding and his light linen clothing. He pushed the sensation away. He didn't care. He had witnessed a miracle, an NPC becoming sentient again, breaking the programming which controlled her. He had to keep her safe. And he had to find out how this happened. He had to know if this was real.

They needed some place uninhabited. A rarely traveled location. A random house wouldn't work, the guards would be alerted. It could be a path less taken. He could hear the NPC breathing heavily behind him, her speed slowing. He winced. She's not a doll. They're not empty dolls but leaving breathing people.

"What's going on?" She huffed. "Where are you taking me?"

He slowed but didn't respond. The sound of the chase had disappeared, and he hadn't noticed. He pulled, and she didn't yank her arm away. As an NPC, her path would be the same, day after day. A walk from 'home' to the market and then back again. That's how the protocols worked.

He considered slowing his pace and hailing a cab. The driverless vehicles rarely had other heroes occupying them. One of the perks of the "Takeover".

He cursed his stupidity and laziness. If he had quested more, if he had attempted to raise his level quicker, he would be able to create a portal. There had been traffic cameras before, which would stand to reason that they still existed. He had no idea if they were being monitored, but if someone was watching, they could be found. Traced. Followed.

To locate her. He stopped running.

"Let's get a cab." Better to get out of town. He grabbed his cell phone, and opened the taxi app.

The NPC leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees. She gasped for air as he hailed the nearest vehicle. She looked back at him, annoyed.

"Really? You have time to text?" She grumbled between breaths. She moved to the edge of the sidewalk, lifting her arm to hail a cab.

Lonan felt his throat grow tight. The old gesture was familiar, innocent. No one had hailed a cab like that since—

The car he selected in the app came rolling down the street towards them. The NPC lowered her arm, twisting back to give him a cocky grin. Her dark ponytail blew wildly in the wind. As the vehicle approached, she stepped closer to him. He could see the skepticism on her lips.

When it reached the requested location, the door swung open. The NPC hesitated at the entrance, turning her emerald eyes towards him in protest. Lonan gently lifted his hand and gestured towards the vehicle.

"Get in," he said, "If you want to live."

He knew the line was cheesy, from a classic movie. Cheesy and overdramatic. He only hoped he was being over dramatic. He was not ready to explain how close to the truth those words might really be.